


Settling Down

by mysticalflute



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-12 07:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 49,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticalflute/pseuds/mysticalflute
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eighteen year old Emma Swan and twenty-two year old Neal Cassidy are ready to settle down. Tallahassee, Houston, San Francisco, it doesn't matter. As long as they were together.</p><p>(Also on fanfiction.net)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Portland

A/N: Please know that this is VERY AU!

 

* * *

 

_Portland, Oregon_

 

Emma Swan stood holding some lunch for she and her boyfriend Neal. The eighteen year old couldn't believe she managed to fall in love after the life she'd had. Being bounced around from foster home to foster home, not to mention being left on the side of the freeway when she was a newborn. No more than at least an hour old, from what the people at Child Services had told her when she was released into the world.

 

It made her sick. Her 'mother' must have given birth to her in the car, and then the just dumped her like she was nothing, for… whatever reason. She didn't care to know the reason why – all she knew was her parents left her to be found by a child and then to be bounced around like a simple toy someone sells at garage sales.

 

 _No, don't think about that now, Emma,_ she told herself. She needed to wait for Neal, the only bright spot she had… and soon they'd have many more bright spots, because they were settling down and becoming normal. She would look for a job in Tallahassee when they got there, and they'd rent a small apartment with the money they had, and then they'd get a bigger and better one, or even a house.

 

The world was open to her now. No more sleeping on the streets, stealing cars, and ripping off convenience stores. It was amazing to think about.

 

"Hey! I have lunch," Emma said when she noticed Neal, a smile on her face as she wagged the bag in his face.

 

Neal though, looked concerned about something. "That's good. We need to talk."

 

Emma frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

 

Neal sighed and pulled out a piece of paper. A wanted poster.

 

With _him_ on it.

 

Emma knew something like this would be coming. They couldn't avoid it forever, but she hoped and prayed that everything would be avoided.

 

"I stole some watches when I was younger and working at a jewelry store," he explained.

 

"What did you do with them?" Emma asked.

 

"They're in a locker in the train station. Emma, I don't want to go to jail, but I know I have to give it up. The sooner I do the less time I'll spend in jail."

 

Jail? Oh no, Emma didn't like that thought at all. Taking a deep breath, Emma rested against him. "We'll think of something, so you don't have to go to jail. I can't lose you Neal. Not like I've lost everyone else important to me. You're the first one to show me something I never thought I would have."

 

"Emma, what do you want me to do? I can't evade the police forever now that they've put out the updated lists. Police here will find me and recognize me," Neal said, trying to pull away from her, but Emma held firm, determined to think of something. She was a street rat. She thought of ways to get out of trouble.

 

"Neal stop. Please. Just let me think," Emma replied. She couldn't lose him. He was the first one she let in since she was fourteen, and she loved him. She'd read fairytales, she knew love wasn't that superficial, but she knew this was love. "Please."

 

"I can't drag you into this Emma," Neal said. "I don't want you to go to jail too."

 

"Neither of us will go to jail… because I have a plan."

 

Neal sighed. "What is it?"

 

Emma grinned a sly smile. "I go to that locker, and pretend to 'find' the watches in a locker that I rented. The watches are returned, we get the reward money, and you don't get into trouble. Then we can start our life in Tallahassee!"

 

Emma's enthusiasm was obvious, a wide grin on her face, her eyes bright for the first time in a long while, and, eventually, it got to Neal, and the man eventually smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Emma Swan, that's just crazy enough to work," he murmured softly. "I'll wait for you a block away from the station, and then we'll go from there when you turn them in."

 

Emma nodded. "Tonight we'll do it." The possibilities in her head with what they would do with twenty thousand dollars was unbelievable. She thought they would only be able to afford a small apartment, but with that money, they'd be able to buy something better. Something stable. It would be strange, after so many years of being bounced around, and running away, it might be nice to… plant some roots.

 

Like the stories she'd read as a child, the ones she'd scoffed at as a teenager… but now, she'd be able to have that life.

 

The fairy-tale life.

 

She laughed a little as she and Neal settled down to have their lunch. "So, are you sure you want to do this?" Neal asked.

 

Emma nodded. "Yes Neal. Starting our life together, planting roots… it's something everyone told me I was too wild and out of control for something like this. One of the guys at the foster home told me I was destined to die on the streets because I was so cold to everyone."

 

Neal frowned, before smiling a little. "Time to prove all of them wrong Emma."

 

The blonde nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."


	2. The Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Neal meet a mysterious stranger.

Emma had to admit, as much as she knew this would work, she was quite nervous – the 'what if's' floating around in her mind. What if this didn't work? What if Neal was captured by police while she was gone? What if Neal didn't want her when all was said and done? What if she was left alone, broke because Neal took all the money?

The blonde took a deep breath as she stood in front of the train station. This had to work. It just had to. Everything would be okay. She had to keep thinking that.

"Okay Emma," she murmured to herself. "Let's do it." Neal's face had been so happy when she came up with this plan. She couldn't let him down because she was afraid what would happen. She straightened her back, before heading inside. She held her bag close to her, looking around as if she didn't know where exactly she was supposed to go, to try and avoid the stares of the police that were standing there. She passed them quickly, going to the lockers. Looking around to make sure no one was looking at her, she pulled the door open with Neal's key.

The watches were beautiful. She almost didn't want to give them up, but she knew that walking around with stolen watches would be a lot more dangerous than just turning them in to the police and making the money that way.

The 'proper' way, as she heard one of her foster mothers say in her head.

"Um, excuse me?" she called to one of the officers, who turned. "I think there's something in here you will want to see…" She bit her lip, for effect.

The officer and his partner started making their way over to her. She stood aside, allowing the officers to see into the locker. It was so strange, actually trusting the police instead of running away from them, but she knew Neal wanted to start over with his life, and so she would do this for him. Perhaps she would learn to trust them too, depending how the rest of her life went after tonight.

"Oh my God," one officer said to the other. "Radio those in Arizona. Tell them we found those watches."

Emma feigned shock. "Watches? You mean as in this man?" She pulled out the wanted posted. "I-I found it in a coffee shop." It wasn't a lie, really. It's where Neal had found it.

The officer nodded. "You are going to be a very lucky woman, Miss…"

"Swan. Emma Swan," she said. "Lucky how?"

"Reward money. The jewelry store is offering twenty thousand dollars, the value of these watches, for anyone who finds them, and since you found them…"

"I get the reward money…" Emma finished. "Wow… twenty thousand dollars. I never thought I'd get so lucky." Which again, wasn't fully a lie. Twenty grand wasn't anything she thought she'd be able to come by.

"We need your phone number, so the store owner can contact you about the reward money," the officer said. Emma nodded, and gave him her number.

"Do you know exactly when they'll contact me?" Emma asked.

"A couple of days from now, at the latest, I would imagine." His partner nodded.

Okay. They could wait that long. Neal could go up to Canada for safety, and she would follow him once the money was wired to her account. This was working. "Okay," Emma said, smiling at them. "Thank you officers." The smile was genuine, because she really was thankful that they were both buying it, and she was grateful to have money to start her life with Neal.

"You're free to go, Miss. We'll call you if we need anything," one of the officers said. Emma noted his badge said 'Jones' on it.

"Thank you," Emma said, smiling as she walked away.

An alleyway; Neal P.O.V.

Neal wanted to pace in front of the train station, but he knew how wrong that would look. He didn't want anyone to think that something was wrong, even though to absolutely was wrong. He was nervous – what was taking so long? He really hoped Emma didn't get in trouble, or held back by the police for something she herself might have done in the past.

The man ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Damn, he needed a cigarette, but he'd quit when he realized he was falling in love with Emma.

He looked at his watch, sighing again. He really hoped Emma would be back soon.

Running footsteps had him looking up, and he saw a widely grinning Emma Swan launch herself into his arms. "I did it! They're going to transfer the money into my account in a couple of days. We're free now Neal!"

Neal laughed as he caught her, taking her over to the Bug so they could talk privately. He kissed her deeply, grinning against her mouth. "I knew you could do it." Even if he had been very nervous about Emma actually being able to get back.

They jumped at a tapping on the window. A man, who didn't appear to be a cop, was standing outside their car. Neal's eyes glanced around, making sure they weren't parked illegally, or blocking anyone in, and they weren't, so he frowned, Emma having the same look.

The man gestured for Emma to roll down her window, and she did so, halfway, not giving the man any room to try anything funny - just enough to talk.

"Who are you?" she snapped.

"My name is August. I'm your guardian."

Emma laughed. "Guardian? Oh, that's rich. If you're a guardian, where the hell have you been? My life has been hell. I've had no guardian."

Neal had never heard her laugh so hard, but she was right – if this man was her 'guardian', why did he apparently leave her alone for who-knew-how-long?

"This world is full of temptations. I was distracted, and then… I wasn't able to find you. Emma is a common name in this world."

'This world'? Oh man, this guy must have escaped from the hospital down the street. Neal and Emma could only stare at him.

Emma P.O.V

Someone at the agency must have sent this guy to freak her out – straighten her into a better life. Well, it clearly wasn't going to work– not now that she and Neal had decided to change their lives for the better.

"What exactly do you mean by 'this world'? Everyone is from this planet, unless you're one of those that think you were abducted by aliens from Mars or something." Her lips twitched into a sarcastic grin.

He, apparently, didn't find it funny.

"I'm serious! You need to get away from this man!"

Emma snorted. "Why?"

"Because you have a destiny to fulfill, and you can't do it with him!" the man, August, said.

"Whatever destiny I have will obviously happen because it's, you know, my destiny. Can't I be happy and do my 'destiny' at the same time?"

August seemed flustered. "B-because!"

Emma laughed. "So, what is this 'destiny' that I have?"

"There is a curse that was placed on our land…" Oh, there he was again with the weird land thing, "and you are the one that is supposed to break it."

"A curse. Really?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

Neal P.O.V

The word 'curse' had Neal's head snap up, the laughter gone from his eyes. This man was from that realm? They'd heard about the curse in Neverland – a pirate that had joined Hook's crew just before Wendy's great-granddaughter brought he and his brother to London was from that world, fearful of a curse.

And Emma was the one that was going to break it?

He'd thought he'd left magic behind in Neverland, but the thought of having it back… was quite tempting.

"Emma – Emma…" he said. "Maybe we should hear him out. I mean, otherwise he might not leave us alone."

Emma rolled her eyes, but sighed. "Alright." She opened her car door, and Neal did the same. He made his way to Emma, taking her hand, silently warning the man that he wasn't going to deal with any jokes – not if it involved the realm his leader came from.

"Take a look at this…" August said, lifting up the cover of the box on the back of what he assumed was his motorcycle.

Neal gazed inside, and his eyes widened. His costume from Neverland. He never thought he'd see it again.

Emma though, seemed to see something else.

E.P.O.V

Her blanket. She didn't understand. She'd left it in the trunk, with the rest of her meager belongings. It wasn't possible that he could have snuck it into his box. Neal would have noticed while she was gone, and they both would have heard something while they were in the car.

"How did you get my blanket?" She went to reach in, but August slammed it shut.

"It's not your blanket, and it's not… whatever it was you saw," he said. "It was a vision of what your mind wanted to see."

Emma frowned. "How does this prove that I'm any sort of savior for any sort of curse?"

August frowned too. "Don't you get it? Your parents sent you to this world in this blanket."

"I know that, genius. They dumped me on the side of the freeway and left me in it," Emma said.

The man, the stranger, shook his head. "No. I was sent with you. I'm the one in the newspaper. But I lied and said you were found on the side of the road because that seemed to be the most normal here!"

Emma was slowly beginning to get frightened. This man was much more paranoid than she'd originally thought.

But even so, this was weird. Completely not normal. Could it be possible?

No. This was ridiculous.

"I'll make sure she breaks this 'curse' thing, alright? Can you leave us alone now?" Neal asked, obviously sensing Emma's discomfort. "You're scaring her."

August stared. "You're kidding. You don't believe in this? After I confirmed that I was the one that found her? After what you saw in the box?"

"Listen, just tell us what Emma has to do in order to break the curse, and we'll take care of it."

August growled. "On her twenty eights birthday, she has to make her way to a town called Storybrooke. Destiny will guide her from there."

Neal nodded. "Fine. Now go away."

August sighed. "You'll believe fully one day Emma. I know it."

Emma couldn't help it. She didn't feel fear too much, but this was just insane. Neal led her back to the car, helping her in, before they quickly drove away, Emma clutching the seat just a little tighter than normal.


	3. Twenty Gs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma finally gets the cash from 'finding' the stolen watches.

The next day, Emma jolted out of her sleep, hearing her cell phone ringing loudly in her ear. She and Neal had been sleeping in their car in an empty are of town. Showering in the locker room at the gym not too far away, and eating what they could scrape from either hotels or restaurants.

"H-hello?" she asked.

"Miss Emma Swan?" a voice on the other end of the line

"Yeah, that's me."

"My name is Victor Dupont, I'm the owner of the jewelry store that had the watches stolen from it? The police said you were the one that found them."

Oh. Oh! This was the phone call they'd been waiting for! Emma smiled, which would have looked really bad if she was talking to this man face to face. "Yes, I'm the one that found them. I'm glad I could help!" And for the money he was going to be sending them.

She had a feeling the man was smiling on the other end of the phone, because his tone became light. "Miss Swan, I'm on my way to Portland for a show, and I was wondering if you would like to meet up so I can give you the reward money?"

"Today?" she asked, heart fluttering in her chest.

"Yes. I'm free around four this afternoon, if that's okay?"

Emma grinned widely. "Yes, that's fine. Starbucks on Main Street. Got it. Thank you sir, goodbye!" Quickly hanging up, she shook Neal. "Neal, wake up. I'm getting the money today!"

Neal sat up, yawning, before her words sunk in fully. "Really?" A smile grew on his face. "That's fantastic!"

"I'm meeting with him at four."

"Great."

But Emma could tell Neal was distracted about something. "What's wrong?" she asked, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you… regretting this?"

Neal shook his head. "No, nothing Emma. Just had a weird dream last night that I'm having trouble shaking."

Emma pursed her lips – she had a sort of built in lie detector in her head, and she knew Neal was bothered by something more serious. Normally she would keep asking, but if Neal didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't make him. She'd vowed to change, and she wanted this to be a part of it.

"Okay," she told him, softly kissing him. "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't make you."

Neal smiled and stroked her cheek. "Thanks for understanding, Emma."

Emma giggled and leaned into his touch. "So what are you going to do while I'm getting the cash?"

"I'll stay here, making lists of what we need to do. I think we should head to Canada first. Get this," he patted the seat he was sitting on, "fully legal before we go to Tallahassee."

Emma sighed, not wanting to wait to start their lives, but she knew he was right. "Alright."

A few hours later, Emma stood in front of the Starbucks she was supposed to meet the man at. She had no idea what he was supposed to look like, so she was nervously looking around. She imagined he would be rich, so he'd be wearing something a bit more… dressed up than the jeans and ragged t-shirts that everyone in the shop was wearing – including Emma herself.

Finally, she saw a limo pull up, and she had a feeling this was the man she was waiting for. As the man stepped out, she felt slightly out of place and unsightly in her hand me downs that she'd had since she was sixteen. But with the money, she'd be able to afford new clothing.

"Are you Emma Swan?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow at her appearance. She'd tried – she really did – to make herself seem more presentable than she normally looked, but she didn't exactly have a lot of options.

She nodded nervously. "Yes. That's me. You must be Mr. Dupont."

The man nodded. "Indeed I am. Thank you for finding those watches for me."

Emma smiled, seeming to be shy, and shrugged a little. "It was nothing, sir, really. I didn't expect to find them, especially since we're so far from Phoenix."

Dupont smiled at her, seeming to believe her shyness. "Of course. I doubt anyone would expect to find stolen property in a locker at a train station. Now, I believe I have something for you here…" The man reached into his pocket, pulling out a check. Emma smiled in excitement. "It's not natural of a man to give someone twenty thousand dollars in cash. I wouldn't be sure if I could trust you."

Emma nodded, understanding – and he was right. Normally, he shouldn't be able to trust her when it came to things like this, but now she was changing. Trying to be better so her future didn't look so bleak and dim. She would have to somehow get cash though. She wasn't sure if the teller would allow her to take out so much money without it looking like a bank heist, but she would try.

"Thank you sir," she said as he handed the check over to her. "I really appreciate it. I've been so worried about my tuition and rent that this… will help."

The man smiled. "Happy to see that it will be going somewhere useful."

She chuckled a little, nervous. Now what? "I guess I'll be going to the bank…"

Dupont nodded. "Alright then. Thank you again Miss Swan, and have a good day. You have some excellent karma coming your way."

Emma shrugged. "Here's hoping." She didn't believe in any of that. From the day she was born it seemed like karma had come after her – with her parents leaving her on the side of the road. What had she done as a fetus that caused this? Did she give her biological 'mother' too much morning sickness? Or too much heartburn? "Goodbye sir," she said softly, walking away, to the bank down the street.

She couldn't help but smirk though. Their plan had worked. All she needed to do now was get the cash, meet up with Neal again, and they would be on their way.

Neal P.O.V

He stood, leaning against the Bug as he waited for Emma to return. He'd picked up dinner, nothing fancy just yet, but enough for them, as usual.

"I meant what I said yesterday."

Neal flinched, but he turned, and saw the man that had bothered them the night before. The one that somehow knew about their world – knew that the characters that lived in story versions in this world weren't just stories – but actual creatures. Real people. Now, they were cursed to live here, apparently.

"So did I," he told August. "I will make sure Emma breaks this curse that's on the Enchanted Forest."

"No. You have to take yourself out of the equation."

"Why?" Neal asked. "Why should Emma have to go through this alone, especially since she grew up thinking she was abandoned?"

"Because if she doesn't then she'll never end up in Storybrooke!" August snarled. "You don't understand."

"I think I understand perfectly. I was a lost boy. You don't think I don't understand what it's like to have to take care of something serious?" Neal said, an eyebrow raising.

August stared at him. "You… you were a part of the famous Lost Boys? Why are you… grown up then?"

Neal smirked. "A girl came to Neverland, and offered us the chance to grow up in her world – this world. All of us but Peter took it… but I imagine he's got a new group of boys to cause havoc with." Peter was like that, and babies got lost. Though, he wasn't sure how often babies got lost anymore. When he went to Neverland, it had been the early 1900s… now it was much later, and he'd noticed less and less orphanages around. Which was good. "So August… who are you?"

He would get his answers, and then he would know how to help Emma break this thing.

August gave him a strange look, before finally smirking at him. "If I tell you… my nose might grow."

Neal stared. "Pinocchio. You're Pinocchio?"

The other man bowed. "At your service."

"You were supposed to be Emma's guardian."

"I said yesterday that this world was filled with temptations. I was young. I shouldn't have, and now that she's in love with you… a Lost Boy turned thief, I know she needs me."

Neal shook his head. "No. She needs me. The one that's been there for her. That's been willing to go to jail for her if her plan hadn't worked. The one that's helped shelter her from the men that leer at her. She needs the one that's going to go to Canada, legitimize everything, and give her the life that she deserves. She doesn't need you."

At that exact moment, he heard her familiar footsteps, and looked up. Emma was beaming, holding a small leather bag in her hand. The money. She'd done it.

Upon seeing August however, she frowned, and Neal could tell there was a slight hint of fear in her eyes.

"What did we tell you yesterday, freak?" Emma said. "We said stay away from us."

"But Emma – "

Emma ignored him though, turning to Neal instead. "I did it. Let's go."

Neal nodded, opening the car door for her. "After you, my lady. We'll eat on the road I got your favorite."

Smiling, Emma got into the car, and Neal shut it, glancing at August again. "I promise. Unlike you, Pinocchio, I don't break them. Emma will break the curse on her twenty-eighth birthday."

He would be a much better guardian than August could ever hope to be.


	4. Vancouver's Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Neal flee to Canada, and then get some unexpected news...

_N.P.O.V_

Neal smiled and looked over at Emma, who was asleep as they drove through Washington State and up to Vancouver, where Neal knew someone who could take care of everything for them. Legitimate. Everything would be completely legal, something that was going to be as strange for him as it was for Emma. After years (at least, he thought it had been years) of being in Neverland, being a child and causing havoc for Captain Hook, he hadn't fared much better when Anna, Wendy's great-granddaughter, had brought them to the United States. He'd gone to school, gotten decent grades, but after he graduated, he decided not to go to college, doing odd jobs around the area, before he'd relocated to Portland after his… issues with the law.

All of that would be over soon. It would be nice to be able to start fresh with Emma, the girl he loved.

As they crossed the border into Canada, Neal slowed the car down, before stopping at the crossing, where he flashed his and Emma's (who had managed to sleep through the process) cards, and they were allowed in. He let out a slight sigh of relief, and drove on, pulling up to a hotel.

"Emma," he said, nudging her. "Wake up."

Emma groaned and shifted, as if rolling over on a bed, before opening her eyes. "Neal? Where are we?" she mumbled.

"Vancouver…" he said. "At a hotel. We're going to stay here for the night. A friend of mine is going to come over and get this all fixed for us."

The blonde smiled, undoing the seat belt. "Great… I'll go check us in while you park."

Neal nodded. "Meet you in there."

Emma got out of the car, and Neal swung around, trying to find a parking spot.

_E.P.O.V_

This was far from the warm beaches, and sunlight she'd been thinking about since that day in the other hotel room, but she knew this was temporary until then. It was a nice hotel – not swanky by any means but… middle was strange for them.

"Hi… do you have any available rooms?"

The man at the desk smiled, typing into the computer. "We do. How long will you be with us?"

Emma frowned. "Um… I'm not sure. Let's say a week? We're getting some work done on our car before we head down to Florida, and I'm not sure how long it's going to take."

The man nodded. "Understood. One week it is."

Emma was relieved. She'd never done anything like this before. She handed over the money, and told him her name for the reservation as Neal walked in.

"Room 104," the man said, handing Emma the keys with a smile. "Have a good stay."

Emma smiled back and murmured her thanks as Neal followed her to the room. It was nice – one bed, a clean bathroom, and a television. The view wasn't much, but she doubted it would be in any room, considering this was right off the highway.

She squealed as she was grabbed from behind and hoisted onto the bed, Neal laughing as he landed on top of her, lips connecting with her own as she fought to stop giggling so much.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you were?" he asked.

Emma smiled, she loved when he got like this. "Maybe once or twice," she teased.

"Yeah, well, I love you a lot. Seriously, if it wasn't for you, I'd be in prison for God knows how long."

"Well you're not, Neal. And in a week, we'll be on our way to Tallahassee," Emma said, eyes shining with excitement.

Neal nodded. "Probably sooner though."

"Sooner works for me," Emma replied with a grin.

"Works for me too." With those words, Neal leaned down and kissed her.

Emma kissed him back, pawing playfully at his shirt, Neal grinned, getting the hint, and pulled it off, and they fell into a familiar pattern of haze and love.

Three months later, Emma Swan-Cassidy sat in the exam room of her doctor's office in Tallahassee. She'd been feeling very off for the past few weeks, and she knew it couldn't just be a normal bug. So, she'd finally come to the doctor's to see what in the world was wrong with her… though she had some sort of sneaking suspicion she knew what was wrong. She didn't want to admit it though – not until she got confirmation from the doctor.

Who should have been here by now. How long did blood tests take?

Neal was at work, unaware that Emma was at the doctors, or had been feeling ill for as long as she had. She didn't know how, but she'd managed to hide it from him.

Miracle of miracles, the doctor walked in, holding the results of her exam. He sat down on the stool, releasing a breath, and looked at her. "Well Mrs. Swan-Cassidy, the good news is, you aren't ill."

Normally when people started conversations like this, it didn't end well. Emma tensed, her fingers digging into the paper on the bed. "So… what am I then? Dying?"

The doctor laughed, and Emma was relieved. "Oh no, no, nothing like that Mrs. Swan-Cassidy. You're expecting a baby."

The words hit her like a ton of bricks. Baby? She couldn't have a _baby_. She and Neal were still so young. She'd be nineteen by the time the baby was born, and Neal would be twenty-three. Sure they were… stable, more so than they were months ago, but still. She didn't want to have a baby until she was in her twenties, at the earliest.

It seemed she didn't get that chance. This was coming early.

"A baby. Well then… my husband is going to be… quite shocked, to say the least," Emma said, trying to make it as humorous as she could.

The man smiled. "Yes, that seems to be the general thinking when women find out they're pregnant."

Emma wasn't surprised to hear that.

The doctor gave her a bunch of information on pregnancy, and Emma took it, not really listening to what he was saying. God, how could this happen? They'd always been so careful…

Except for maybe that one night in Vancouver.

Oh… dear.

"Okay. Thank you doctor," Emma said, getting off the table and heading into the waiting room to pay for the appointment. She took a deep breath, smiling as the receptionist told her 'congratulations', and nodded in thanks, before leaving the office, going to the Bug and driving home. Neal walked to work, because he worked at the hotel that was a couple of bus stops away from their small apartment.

She worked at a diner in the suburbs, so she needed the car. It had worked out surprisingly well.

Life too, had gotten so much better than what she ever could have thought, even when she and Neal were going through their plan back in Portland.

She sighed, pulling into the parking spot they had, and rested her head against the back of her seat. How was she supposed to tell him? Alright, breathe Emma. All she had to do was just come out and say it, right? Finally gathering her courage to actually get out of the car, she locked the doors and made her way to the apartment, murmuring how she was going to tell him under her breath.

"Neal, I'm pregnant. Neal, I know that we weren't planning on this for a while, but I'm uh… we…" No, none of that sounded good enough. She would just have to go out and say it. She stood in the living room, looking in the small mirror on the wall. "Neal I'm pregnant."

" _What_?"


	5. Baby?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Neal discuss their unexpected news.

_E.P.O.V_

Oh shit.

Emma felt herself pale, for once the reason not being the apparent morning sickness she was feeling,

"Neal," she whispered, forcing herself to turn around and confront him about this. "I… you heard right. I went to the doctor's. They said I was pregnant, that we're having a baby." Now that she thought about it, it honestly made sense. A _lot_ of sense.

Neal though, smiled, striding over to her as the door fell closed. "That's incredible, Emma," he said with a smiled. "This is amazing. It really is."

"You're not mad?" Emma asked, looking up at him.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Because we never planned for something like this. I know we have money, but not much… could we afford everything that a baby needs?" she asked, shaking a little.

"Shh…" Neal said, stroking her cheek softly. "It'll be okay. We're fighters, remember? We will get through this."

"But our baby won't have the things I want it to have."

Neal raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

"The best things. We're not rich – "

Neal cut her off. "But we're not poor either. And the baby will have something you never did – loving parents. It will be in a stable home, Emma. Isn't that what any parent should want for their child?"

Damn him for having good points.

"I-I guess, but we're both so young…" Emma murmured.

"I know we are."

"What if my parents were young too? What if this is why they did that to me?" Emma said, panic settling into her stomach.

"Emma, relax…" Neal said. "I want you, and I want this baby. Don't you? Isn't this what we've been fighting for? Why we decided to return the watches, go to Canada to get everything legalized, and stop the 'Bonnie and Clyde' act? So we could start a family like this?"

Emma bit her lip, thinking. She knew he was right. She wanted a family, to be a better parent than what hers had turned out to be… if they were considered parents. She wanted to prove everyone wrong. Everyone that had told her at the orphanage that she would never be able to have a normal life because no one would want her, or want to be near her, especially for this long of a period of time.

Neal took her hand gently, kissing the small diamond on her ring. "I didn't give you this for nothing, Emma Swan."

"Swan- _Cassidy,"_ she corrected, with a small smile on her face.

She felt a rumbling chuckle underneath her head as she rested it against his chest. "Swan-Cassidy. The fact is the same. I love you, and I want to stay with you, and I want to raise this baby with you."

Emma took a deep breath, nodding. "Okay then… let's… let's have a baby."

"I think mother nature is _way_ ahead of you," he replied, placing a hand on her still-flat stomach. "Our little baby Swan-Cassidy."

Emma nodded, smiling a little as she slowly grew used to the idea that she was going to be a mother. "Yeah… so… what do you want? Boy or girl?"

Neal laughed. "Oh, so now you're excited?"

"I wouldn't say that quite yet, but I am getting used to the idea that I'm really pregnant… especially if you're going to stay here with me and always be with me."

Smiling, Neal leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. "I will. Always, Emma."

"Till death?"

Neal smiled. "Till death."

Emma threw her arms around him, laughing as her feet suddenly left the ground, Neal twirling her around the room.

"By the way," he said, grinning. "I want a girl."

Emma grinned back. "Oh yeah? I want a boy."

Emma could picture running around the park with a son, teaching him how to play sports, read books, and go on adventures… and he would be perfect, absolutely perfect. A girl though… might want to do the more girly things. Princesses and tea parties. Emma didn't do that stuff. But… one never knew what their child was going to be like until the child was actually born, so she didn't care either way, really. Growing up hanging out with boys though, she knew how to handle them more than girls.

God, she never thought she would be thinking thoughts like this, never mind actually being pregnant, especially pregnant and stable with a man she loved.

"I guess we'll see who wins in a few months, won't we?" Neal asked, smiling.

Emma nodded. "Seven-ish months, from what the doctor says. I'm going to have to find more doctors, and get so many things…"

Neal smiled. "Don't worry about it Emma. We can do it. I know we can."

"What if we aren't good enough?" Emma asked, sighing again, panic creeping into her veins. She had a feeling this might be partially hormones, and part actual fear that nothing was going to go right now.

"Stop. If you can convince police officers that you just so happened to find stolen watches and got twenty thousand dollars from it, then I'm sure we can raise a baby. Again, we're doing this together. You don't have to sneak into a train station and try to look completely innocent or something," Neal said. "We can do anything we put our minds to. And if we screw up here or there, we can fix it. Together. Our baby will know love, so if it doesn't have the newest games, or the clothing off the runways in New York, who cares? He or she is _ours_."

Emma nodded. "Okay…"

Neal smiled, and she laughed as she was spun around again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Finally, she was getting that happy ending she'd always desired and craved. In a town that she chose for them to live in.

The fairytale life she never thought she would be able to have… she finally did. It was shocking, still didn't feel exactly right, but she wouldn't give it up for anything, not now. She had Neal, and she now had her unborn child.

Life might toss her a few curveballs along the way, but she would never stop fighting for her happy ending now that she had it. It was far, far too precious for her to give up.

God, she never thought she could be so happy.


	6. Richmond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Road trip!

_Six months later…_

She had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't going to end well. Not that she didn't _want_ to go on vacation with Neal, to Portland, Maine, driving up the coast like they used to during their days on the run, but she _was_ heavily pregnant, drawing nearer and nearer to her due date, and she was a bit fearful about going into labor on the side of the road, like where she was found. Hopefully, if she did go into labor while they were on the road, it would be while they were in a town somewhere, and she could give birth in a hospital.

Preferably the one in Tallahassee where she had everything planned out with the help of her doctors.

She wondered, as she looked out the window, the trees flying by as they moved down the highway, what would happen if she did give birth somewhere other than the hospital that was planned. Would they know what to do? Would they be willing to help her since she wasn't a resident of that town?

Still… she supposed a vacation would be very nice before the baby came and their lives were thrown into the chaos that was normal in raising a child.

She rubbed her stomach, her head resting against the window as they pulled into Richmond, Virginia. They'd been driving for hours now, it would have been ten if they hadn't needed to stop at nearly every rest stop thanks to the baby currently sitting on her bladder.

"Finally here for the night," Neal said, opening his door, before going to her own, opening it for her. She smiled and took his hand, carefully getting out of the car, stretching her legs in relief. "You doing okay?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Baby alright?"

Emma nodded again, smirking a little. "He or she is fine, _Charming,_ now calm down." They'd decided to be surprised with what they were having until the baby was actually born. Emma was still pulling for a boy, though, and she had a sneaking suspicion that her thoughts and dreams about a little boy were going to come true. She hadn't said anything to Neal about them though, keeping them as a secret.

Neal laughed, loudly, as he led her into the lobby of the hotel to check in. "Did you seriously just call me 'Charming'? Honestly Emma, I think those fairytales are going to your head."

"But you _are_ charming," Emma pointed out. "Otherwise I wouldn't have ended up like this." She gestured to her expanded stomach with her left hand, the diamond making it obvious as to what she was talking about.

Neal laughed again, making his way to the check in desk with a grin. "Yeah, my wife and I are driving up to Maine, so we're staying the night here tonight…"

She heard part of the conversation, before being distracted by some brochures that were at the end of the check in desk. Some were for things to do in the mountains, others for the coast, and others still were for Washington D.C, which Emma didn't understand because of how far from D.C they were. She smiled a little though, because it would certainly be interesting to visit the seat of government. There was so much history there – and she loved history. She would have to bring it up to Neal one day for a family vacation, so she took them, having to resist the urge to put them suspiciously in her pocket or her purse. They were free, of course people were going to take them. It was okay for her to take one as well.

Even though they hadn't been stealing to survive in a while, it was still difficult for her to break the thoughts of stealing something, even though she knew she didn't have to. Right. This was okay.

Neal eventually walked back over to her. "Here, why don't you go up to the room? I'll get the bags from the car." He handed her the key, Room 820. So they'd have some view from the room. Emma smiled and went to the elevator, heading to the eighth floor.

_N.P.O.V_

"You're dangerously close to Maine, you know."

Neal could have bashed his head against the trunk of the car. What was _he_ doing here? Did he not have any boundaries?

His jaw set in a thin line, Neal grabbed their bags and hoisted them out of the trunk before turning to look at the man that didn't ever seem to go away.

"And you", he began, slamming the trunk closed, "are like a bad rash. Or nightmare that keeps haunting Emma and I. Can't you let her live her live in peace?"

August frowned. "I told you so many times that she needs to do her destiny on her twenty-eighth birthday. What are you doing driving up this seaboard, ten hours from Maine?"

"I'm giving her a vacation before our lives change forever," Neal said, purposefully being vague about it.

"You still have ten years to go before she has to break the curse," August said. "Why bother taking vacations now?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Neal asked, rolling his eyes. "Keep her locked in Florida for ten years?" He wondered what would happen if the curse was broken _before_ Emma turned twenty-eight, and he felt a devious feeling begin to bubble inside his stomach. He forced a grin, or smirk, whatever his face was going to do, to remain still as he gazed at the other man.

"No. You're just to avoid Maine until she turns twenty-eight. Then again, you're just a Lost Boy, so you wouldn't be able to follow simple instructions, would you?"

Neal laughed. "Right, right, the Lost Boy, the one who was loyal to Peter Pan for years and years, never left a man behind during any of our fights with Captain Hook and his crew, looks worse than Pinocchio, the boy who left a _newborn_ to fend for herself, while the Lost Boy was able to make her happy, settle her down, and have her stop a life of crime. She's working now – a waitress. Did you know that? We're married. She's happy. Tell me how that's worse than you abandoning her and attempting to take me away from her for your own selfish need."

"Selfish?! You think rescuing an entire town, thousands of people, is selfish?!" August shouted.

Neal glared, warning the man to keep his tone down so none of the… 'normal' people could hear them.

"I'm not talking about _that,_ genius," Neal said, rolling his eyes. "I'm talking about you leaving Emma to do what? Frolic around the world until she was desperate and finally found happiness? Where were you to make sure she was happy the first seventeen, no, eighteen years of her life? Well, I'm here now, making sure she's happy for the rest of her life."

His own happiness wasn't important to him, Emma's was. She was fragile, damaged because of what Pinocchio wound up thrusting upon her.

And he wanted to make sure she knew that she was always going to be loved, no matter what happened. He would always love her and care about her, and he never wanted to leave her.

August frowned. "I told you I'm sorry about that but – "

_"Sorry?_ You think _sorry_ is good enough to make up for what you did to her? Did you even see the way she reacted to the news about the curse? She didn't believe it. She could have, if you'd stayed with her and allowed her to see magic and know about it right from the get go, but you didn't, and she's hardened because of it," Neal said, grabbing the bags. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take my wife's bags to her, and we're going to spend the night here tonight, before we go to Portland, Maine, to enjoy the 'other' Portland."

With that, he turned away from August once again, and went inside the hotel, going to the desk again, leaning over to the man. "Listen… there's a man outside who is… _obsessed_ with my wife. He's been trying to tail us for years now, and it really freaks her out when she sees him. She doesn't need it since she's, you know, pregnant. So, if you could keep an eye out for this man… I would appreciate it."

The man at the desk nodded, eyes wide. "Of course sir. If I see him entering the hotel through this main door, I'll be sure to escort him out."

Neal smiled in relief. "Thank you."

He told the man what August looked like, before finally heading upstairs to Emma, who frowned when he walked in.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "That took longer than I thought."

The man nodded, setting their bags down. "Yeah, fine. It just took a while because one of the straps got stuck. I had to undo it."

Emma smiled. "Oh. Alright." She leaned up and kissed his cheek with a smile, seeming content with his answer, which he was relieved with.

Neal only wished he could be as relieved, as he held her close, laying down on the bed and drifting off to the feeling of their child kicking against her stomach.


	7. Washington D.C

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Neal make a pit-stop in the U.S Capital.

_N.P.O.V_

"Come on Emma!" Neal called. "I want to get on the road before it gets too crowded!"

Neal stood outside the room, the door slightly cracked as he waited for Emma to join him so they could get on their way to Portland… or Storybrooke.

Neal had mulled it over during the night. They would go to Storybrooke and see what was there to be seen, especially if it was on the way to Portland. It would be simple, really, to get Emma to agree to pull over, considering her bladder was out of control lately, as was her hunger. If Storybrooke was like any other town, they should have a restaurant, and a bathroom.

If it wasn't, then he'd have to do it by her twenty-eighth birthday. He didn't want to keep her out away from home any longer than he needed to with the baby coming so soon. He wasn't dumb.

He really hoped Storybrooke was on the way to Portland, because it would be so much fun to see August squirm. He hoped he would turn back into wood. Maybe that would shut him up.

Then again… Neal had seen Pinocchio before, not as a Lost Boy, but because the stories were known in this land (though he still didn't know how), and Pinocchio could still run around as a wooden boy.

Hmm, that wouldn't be as fun.

He meant to think more about this, but Emma's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Alright, Alright, I'm ready," she said, walking out of the hotel room with the last of their things. "I just wanted to make sure I was totally ready to go. You know, with the baby on my _bladder_?"

Neal laughed, wrapping an arm around her. "Touché."

Emma smirked. "I knew I was right."

"You always are, Emma," Neal said with a sigh. It wasn't true – really, he was right sometimes too, but right now, he wanted to make her happy considering she was feeling miserable with how far along in her pregnancy she was now.

Emma smiled. "I know I am."

Neal grinned and led her downstairs, checking out of the hotel quickly before they packed up their car and drove off again, their heads filled with the exciting ideas of the open road, and the 'other Portland'. What would it be like? Neal wondered if there was a Starbucks on the main drag, like in the 'western Portland'.

Oh, how things had worked out so well for the two of them. Neal smiled as they pulled onto the highway, and squeezed her hand. Her hazel eyes danced with excitement, and the smile grew at seeing it.

She deserved this, she really did. Even if she felt that she didn't.

They passed a sign leading to some of the sites in Washington DC, and Neal was really tempted to stop, but he knew they needed to get to Portland (or Storybrooke, whichever came first), before night fell, so they kept driving.

"We should take the baby there one day… in the future," Emma said, looking longingly at the signs. "To see all of the national monuments… the White House… I think he or she would really like it."

Neal smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. You seem so sure you know what the baby will like, and he or she's not even born yet Emma. I've heard of intuition, but isn't that a little extreme?"

Emma laughed. "I guess, but even so… there's so many things to see there… if we weren't in a hurry I'd make you pull over and stop so we can get some pictures."

Neal smiled, turning onto the road that would lead to D.C. Emma looked at him, shocked.

"Why don't we take an hour or so to stretch our legs and get something to eat? We've got a long drive ahead of us. Besides… I'd like to get a picture of you and I in front of the White House or Washington Monument."

"Oh Neal, you mean it?" Emma asked, grinning brightly at him as they pulled into a parking garage, Neal paying for their parking spot.

"Of course I mean it," Neal replied, smiling at her. "Why wouldn't I?"

Emma threw her arms around him, and he laughed as he returned the hug. "Come on then. We have an hour."

"Then let's make it the best hour we can," she said, kissing him again as they walked into the bright sunshine. They really did get lucky with the weather.

"Looks like the Washington Monument is that way," Neal said, pointing at the white marble statue in the distance. "Shall we make our way over there?"

Emma nodded, and he felt his hand being taken in her smaller one, and he smiled, allowing her to lead him to the monument, taking in the sites along the way.

"I'm glad we did this," he heard her say. He looked down at her, and she was glowing – more than the pregnancy glow she'd had for months, but a genuine happy glow that he hadn't seen in a while because of the baby becoming more and more uncomfortable for her to deal with.

"I'm glad we did to," he replied as they arrived at the monument. Neal raised their camera, taking a picture of it before Emma stood into the frame. He took a picture of her as well, before looking around. "Excuse me!" he called to a woman who was walking around. "Can you get a picture of us in front of the monument?"

The woman smiled and agreed, taking the camera. He wrapped his arms around Emma, and they both smiled, watching the barely visible flash of the camera go off. They thanked the woman, and headed off toward the World War Two Memorial, where they fell into silence, to show respect.

"Wow," Emma murmured. "It's beautiful…"

Neal nodded. "Yeah, it is… hard to believe something like that happened, isn't it?" He couldn't believe, or perhaps he could, that this world could go through something like this. Yes, they had wars in Neverland, but he never saw anyone actually die.

This world was scary, and he wasn't sure he wanted his child growing up in it. If anything, he wanted to go to the Enchanted Forest, where Emma's parents ruled. Their child would be safe there, with magic to protect he or she.

"Neal?"

He blinked and shook his head. "Huh? Sorry Emma. What's up?"

"I asked if you wanted to go somewhere else…" Emma said. "The Vietnam Memorial isn't too far, or we could get something quick to eat."

Neal smiled a little. "Yeah, let's go eat." He took her hand and began walking with her, finding a small café when they got back to the main street, where their car was still parked.

Emma nodded and smiled. "You looked out of it, I thought you were in lala land."

Neal shook his head again. "Just thinking. No big deal."

Emma rested against him, and Neal could tell she was relaxed – which was a good thing in his mind. Neal kissed the blonde hair on her head, and smiled as their lunch arrived.

"We can take the chips back to the car, eat them on the ride. Looks like they have bottles of water and pop if you want to pick one up for the ride too," Neal told her.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

They finished lunch quickly before heading back to their car, Neal helping Emma in carefully, making sure she was comfortable before he got in himself, and getting back onto the open road.

He cleared his throat. "Right, so looks like we have nine or so hours to go until we reach Portland."

Emma nodded, reaching for the map. "Yep. Settling in for a long ride."

He was concerned about her, he would be honest. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea, though Emma seemed to be enjoying it. There was something though… inside of him. Something clawing at him.

Maybe they needed to make a pit stop in Storybrooke.

Hours (and many pit stops) later, he saw a sign for Storybrooke, smirking a little, before he looked at the time. Seven o'clock. Not too late, and not too early. He also noticed Emma was asleep, and slowed the car just a little, before reaching over to shake her gently. "Emma, wake up…"

Emma groaned and opened her eyes. "What?"

"There's a town up ahead… wanna stop and see what they have to eat?" They'd skipped dinner, and he was starving.

The blonde yawned, looking around. "Yeah sure… where are we?"

"Near a town called Storybrooke. It was the first thing I saw." A lie, but she didn't have to know that.

"Storybrooke? That's a weird name," Emma remarked.

Oh, if only she knew how weird this was probably going to be.


	8. Welcome to Storybrooke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Neal stop in Storybrooke. What could go wrong?

_E.P.O.V_

Neal pulled up outside a small restaurant called 'Granny's'. It was a typical small town, and Emma couldn't help but feel pulled to the town. It was strange, considering she'd never been here before in her life.

"It's… small-town America at its finest," she remarked as Neal got out of the car, chuckling a little at her words, before helping her out of the car.

"It certainly is…" he replied, though he looked a bit distracted. Emma frowned. Why was this happening again? Was he wanted here too? Would they have to go on the run, again? "Let's eat."

Emma nodded. "Are you sure everything is okay? You're distracted again, and I don't like it."

Neal wrapped an arm around her waist, taking her inside the diner. "I swear I'm fine. I just want to make sure you are."

"I'm just hungry right now, promise," Emma replied as they were greeted by a brunette waitress who seemed… well, _unique_ with her fashion choices. She really wondered why the owner decided this would be appropriate for a _diner_ , which Emma had to assume was a family place, from the menu choices she was looking at.

"I've never seen you here before," the young woman said. "People don't come to Storybrooke…"

Emma felt her curiosity grow at her words. "They don't? Why?"

The waitress shrugged, taking out her pad. "Storybrooke's in the middle of nowhere. Why would anyone want to come here? Why did you come here?"

Emma looked at Neal, who opened his mouth to speak. "We saw the sign, and we were hungry, so we decided to stop in and see what you guys had to eat."

The waitress shrugged. "Makes sense to me. What can I get for you guys?"

Emma looked down at the menu. "I'll take a hot chocolate with cinnamon, a water, and…" she paused, looking at the food, "a chicken sandwich, no mayo."

Neal ordered a Coke, and the Reuben sandwich.

Ruby –the waitress, now that she could see the name tag- nodded, writing down her order, before heading off to turn it in to the chef.

"This town seems… interesting," Emma said, unable to help feeling like they were supposed to be here. It was so strange, considering she'd never been here, didn't know anyone here, but she had that feeling a lot, and it seemed that, whenever she followed that feeling, she was happy. She'd had it with Neal way back in Portland, and she had it when she was 'finding' the missing watches.

Here it was again, in this town in the middle of nowhere, that she had never heard of before in her life.

"Interesting is a good word for it," Neal muttered, looking out the window. "What do you say to staying here tonight? We can finish the drive to Portland in the morning, and I don't want you to be in a car longer than you have to be."

Emma smiled, relieved he said that. "I'd like that, Neal," she said, nodding. "Maybe tomorrow we can walk around a little, see what they have…"

_N.P.O.V_

He watched her reactions carefully, wanting to stay in Storybrooke no matter what she said. Her agreeing to stay the night just made things quite easy for him. Though, he didn't want to push her into anything. Not like August was being.

But he still wanted to see that son of a bitch squirm when the curse broke before Emma's twenty-eighth birthday.

"You would?" Neal asked, smiling a little. "We can do that then."

Emma smiled. "Thanks Neal…"

"Anything for you, gorgeous, you know that. Especially before the baby comes and we can't travel too far," Neal replied with a smile.

"Hot chocolate with cinnamon… if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were related to Mary Margaret," Ruby's voice said, cutting into the conversation, setting their drinks down on the table.

"Who's Mary Margaret?" Emma asked.

Ruby smiled. "She's a teacher at the elementary school. She's the only one in town I've ever seen order cinnamon with hot chocolate."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've never met anyone else that liked it…"

Ruby shrugged. "Must be a rare thing. Like… a family thing."

Neal frowned. Could this 'Mary Margaret' be Snow White? Emma's mother? It was the only thing that made sense – Neal couldn't stand the stuff with cinnamon, he could barely stand the stuff at all.

"Or maybe it's just something rare in the world," Neal said.

Ruby nodded. "Probably something like that."

_"Ruby! Order up!"_ another voice called.

Ruby sighed. "I wish I could be like you guys and take a vacation whenever I wanted." With those words, she dashed off to the kitchen to grab the tray.

Neal laughed a little. "It's not like we can do this whenever we want anymore." He winked at her and took a sip of his drink.

Emma smiled back, and leaned close. "We haven't been able to for a while."

As Ruby returned with their food, the two outsiders exchanged another secretive glance, before Neal thanked Ruby for the food. "Say… is there a hotel around here? It's getting kinda late and I'm not sure if I want to be on the road this late, knowing what people can get up to on a Friday night…"

Ruby nodded, setting their plates in front of them. "My Granny owns an inn just down the road. You can stay there. I can show you where it is when you're done."

"That'd be great, thank you."

Ruby smiled. "You guys eat up... I'll go let Granny know you want to stay… just overnight?"

Neal nodded. "Overnight."

He saw Emma smiling a mysterious smile out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything. She had that look a lot, and sometimes didn't tell him what it meant, so he stopped asking. If she wanted to tell him, she would tell him.

When they finished eating, Neal smiled as Ruby handed them the key to their room at the inn, getting directions from a kind, older woman (whom he assumed was 'Granny'), and led Emma outside to their car.

Neal gave Emma the directions that were written down on a piece of paper, and they set off to the inn.

"That was fun… wasn't it?" he asked as they pulled up.

Emma nodded with a smile. "It should be down here…"

They pulled up to a small, rustic-style inn, and Neal was quickly reminded of their tree house in Neverland. He smiled a little, squeezing Emma's hand as they found their room, going inside. He saw Emma go to the window, looking out at the view.

"Well, it's not Vancouver, or Tallahassee, but… it's nice," Emma remarked. "I can see the clock tower from here."

She then suddenly frowned, and Neal raised an eyebrow. "Emma? What's wrong?""

"The clock…" she glanced at the clock on the table quickly, "it's set to the wrong time."

Neal looked over. So it was. But it wasn't off by that much. The clock in town said eight fifteen, but the clock in the room said eight forty-five. Still, it was curious, and Neal wondered if it had anything to do with the curse.

"Maybe it's old," he remarked. "It happens a lot in these small towns… maybe it needs new parts or something."

Emma shrugged, but didn't appear to believe him. "Maybe."

She seemed restless, which, while not totally out of the ordinary for her, had him mildly concerned since she was as pregnant as she was. "You okay Emma?" he asked, going to the window and gently squeezing her shoulder.

He saw her wince, though she tried to hide it, before she nodded. "Fine. The baby seems to be really restless though."

Neal frowned. "Restless how?"

"Restless restless," she murmured, going to the bed and sitting down. "Almost like… he's anxious to see us."

Neal put his hands on her stomach. "Do you think it's almost time…?"

Emma laughed a little. "Don't be ridiculous Neal, I'm not due for another –" She gasped a little, in obvious pain, and Neal's eyes widened, quickly leading her outside.

"Well, alright then. Guess he's impatient," Emma remarked. Neal could tell she was trying, and struggling to, keep the humor about the situation.

Their baby was going to be born in Storybrooke.


	9. David Henry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma makes a life-changing decision.

Neal drove quickly to the hospital they'd passed on the way to the inn. He helped Emma out of the car, and the couple moved as fast as Emma's contractions would allow them to.

"This woman is in labor!" he said, as nurses quickly arrived, a doctor soon after. "Please help us."

The male doctor helped Emma sit down in a wheelchair, and sent a nurse off with her, before turning to him. "Name?"

Neal forgot his head for a moment, before realizing that the man wanted to know who they were. "Swan-Cassidy. Emma Swan-Cassidy. I'm her husband Neal."

The doctor nodded. "Doctor Whale. When was she due?"

Neal blinked as they made their way into the room. Why was that important? "She… the doctor in Tallahassee said she was due in another couple of weeks." He moved over to Emma's bed, taking her hand, panic clear in her face.

"It'll be okay Emma," he murmured softly, stroking her head. "Promise. Soon, we'll be able to see our baby."

Emma whimpered. "I-I don't want to do this… I-I don't know i-if I'm strong e-enough!"

"You are Emma. I know it. You can do anything," he said, wincing a little as another contraction hit her, his hand being gripped tight by hers. He reached over, getting a wet cloth for her forehead. "Breathe babe… remember what we learned at those classes."

Emma nodded shakily, trying to breathe like the Lamaze classes had taught her to do. Neal squeezed her hand again, smiling a little.

Hours later, he wasn't sure how long it'd been, but the sun had risen just as Emma managed to push out their child, a beautiful baby boy, born as the sky turned a brilliant shade of pink and orange.

Neal smiled, wiping Emma's face off gently as the birthing process came to an end, their boy in her arms.

"What should we call him?" he asked.

Emma smiled as the little boy shifted a little in his sleep. "I've always liked David…"

David had been the number one name on their list. Neal smiled and nodded in agreement. "That sounds perfect. How about David Henry?"

"David Henry Swan-Cassidy… I love it," Emma said, taking the sleeping boy's hand. "Welcome to the world, David."

Neal smiled, unable to stop, as he pressed a soft kiss to his son's head. "You were amazing, Emma. I told you, you could do it."

She shifted a little, sitting up in the bed. "Yeah, you did… I can't believe it…"

They were silent for a moment, before Emma spoke up once again. "How long should we stay?"

Neal looked up at her, startled. "What?"

"Here. How long should we stay here?"

"You want to stay longer?"

Emma nodded. "Y-yeah, I do. I don't know what it is Neal, but I feel… drawn here. Like we're supposed to be here. Like how I felt with you, when I was trying to save you from being arrested."

Neal couldn't help but feel a little smug. _This_ was how one got her to Storybrooke, not August's ridiculous thought about breaking them up. Also, it didn't hurt that he was the other reason she felt this way, but that wasn't the most important thing.

"We can stay as long as you want…" Neal said, smiling. "I can call a moving company and have them bring some of David's things up…"

Emma gave him a shy smile, before handing David over and tugging at the thin hospital sheet. "I… was thinking maybe forever?"

Neal stared as he adjusted his hold on the baby. Well, this hadn't been expected. He'd wanted her to come and break the curse, but… not to stay permanently. She had always struck him as someone made for the big city – Portland, Tallahassee, or Vancouver. Not a small town like Storybrooke.

Maybe it was because of her destiny.

"We're going to have to find jobs, you know," he told her. "And transfer everything here…"

Emma shrugged. "I could take care of transferring everything. I'd be on maternity leave anyway, you know that."

Neal smiled a little, but was really in shock over her wanting to stay here without him prodding at her, nudging her. It was amazing. Relieving, but amazing at the same time. She really wanted to completely settle down in small-town America. It was amazing to him that she was so… he hated to say it, but well-adjusted, especially after being bounced around so many times. He supposed it was due to her wanting to prove everyone wrong.

He let out a quick breath. "Wow. Alright then. I'll… see if I can find any houses for sale here. Or apartments for rent…" He leaned over to kiss her softly. "Do you want me to bring you anything from the inn?"

Emma shook her head. "Not right now. I think I'm going to go to sleep…"

Chuckling, Neal nodded. "Alright." Gently, he put David in his crib and kissed her head. "I'll be back in a few hours then."

He saw her smile softly at him, one so full of love and trust it made his heart ache that he had to lie to her about who he was, about what this town was. She would learn though, in time. There was no way she'd believe it now.

She wasn't ready yet, but he would help her get there. Slowly.

He left the hospital, going back to the car, ready to get into it when he was stopped by a professional-looking woman.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes dark with suspicion. Neal had seen the look countless times, so he wasn't at all bothered by it.

"My name is Neal… my wife and I were passing through town last night and she went into labor," he explained calmly. "She's fallen in love with this place though, and wants to move here… if you know of anyone that can help us."

"I'm the mayor of this town. Regina Mills."

Neal wanted to flinch back, he wanted his eyes to widen in fear of the woman in front of him, but he didn't. But he know who she was, oh yes.

_He remembered being a child, having been taken captive by Captain Hook and his men (again), anxiously awaiting Peter and Tink to save them (again). They were tied to the mast, listening to the pirates talk. The stories weren't nearly as good as Wendy's, but they held his attention. One of the pirates –he was new- was talking about an evil queen, who had threatened a prince and princess on their wedding day. Queen Regina, the pirate had said. Dark eyes, dark hair, dark color on her lips, and an air about her that could only be considered… evil._

She was Regina the Queen – the woman who had caused all of this… but he couldn't let her know that he knew who she was, that there were other 'creatures' or 'characters' in the world aside from those trapped under her curse.

"Ah… Madam Mayor then. Quite a position," he said with a small smile, not giving anything away.

She smiled, and he finally understood why the pirate was terrified of her. The woman smiled like the 'devil', as the residents of this world called it. The face of evil. There was something hidden in her smile, a secret that only she knew.

He hated it.

"Yes. It's quite… an experience," she said, a strange grin on her face. "Congratulations on the baby… and welcome to Storybrooke."

She turned, walking away, and Neal shuddered as he leaned against the car, before getting inside and driving off to Granny's diner.

"Neal, right?" Ruby asked as soon as he'd entered the diner.

He nodded. "That's right."

"Is everything alright? Granny said you guys were gone all night…" She had a worried look on her face as she set down a cup of coffee in front of him. "And you look awful."

Smiling a little, Neal raised the cup of coffee to his lip and took a drink, thankful that it wasn't as awful as the hospital's. "Emma went into labor last night… she had the baby this morning."

Ruby smiled. "Oh, that's wonderful! Congratulations! What did you have?"

"It's a boy. We named him David… and it seems he's already calling the shots in the family."

The waitress gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

He grinned a little, leaning back in the booth. "Emma has decided she's had enough of the big city. She wants to settle down here."

Ruby stared at him, clearly confused as to why someone would want to settle down in a small town in the middle of nowhere, and a man in Tallahassee woke up to a screaming pain in his foot…


	10. Mary-Margaret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma meets her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, in this story, Neal is not Baelfire.

_A.P.O.V_

August grunted, holding onto his foot as he shot out of his sleep. What the hell was going on? She couldn't be… could she?

Gulping tensely, August moved the covers off his legs, and stared.

_No._

Why the hell was she in Storybrooke already? How could this have happened? This wasn't supposed to happen for another ten years. He was supposed to have more time in this world before he went back to the damn wooden state. He hadn't been a good boy.

The Blue Fairy and his father were going to kill him when they found out what happened.

_E.P.O.V_

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but she knew it had to be at least mid-day by the time she woke up. It was a Saturday, she knew that much. Yawning a little, she sat up in bed, looking around the stark hospital room. She hated these places… not that she'd ever spent much time in the hospital, but even doctor's offices were the same.

She looked over at the crib, where David was just beginning to stir. "Well kid," she said, slowly standing up. "Looks like it's just you and I for now."

David let out some sort of noise, and Emma chuckled as she lifted him into her arms. "You know, it's funny kid. I never thought I would want to do something like this. Settle down and have a family…"

The boy stared up at her with wide eyes, but he seemed comfortable in her arms, and Emma smiled, sitting down on the bed again.

A knock at her door forced the woman to look up, and her eyes found a dark haired woman standing in the doorway.

The strange woman seemed familiar to her, and Emma simply stared at her, tense, until she spoke.

"Good morning Mrs. Swan-Cassidy," she said with a smile. "I brought your breakfast… or, rather, lunch."

Lunch. So it was afternoon. Emma nodded stiffly. "Are you… a nurse or something?" she asked.

The woman shook her head. "No… I'm just a volunteer. I'm a teacher."

"Oh," Emma said, taking the tray the woman had, as she laid David back in his crib. "My name's Emma, by the way. You don't have to call me by my last name." She was still young – having anyone (especially a woman that looked a bit older than her) call her by 'Mrs. Swan-Cassidy' made her feel weird, and old. She didn't like that.

The woman smiled. "Nice to meet you Emma. I'm Mary-Margaret."

As Emma got a closer look at the woman, she was startled to see that their chins were nearly the same. The woman though, looked kind, like someone she hoped to see in a hospital.

"I-it's nice to meet you too Mary-Margaret," Emma said, a little shy for some reason. "So. Teacher, huh? What grade? You know, if you're allowed to sit and talk with me."

Mary-Margaret smiled a little. "Actually, my shift is nearly over so… I'll be back soon, if you can wait that long?"

Emma nodded. "Not like I'm going anywhere until the doctors allow me to be released."

What the hell was going on with her? Why was she so interested in talking to this woman? Why did she feel so drawn to her, or this town in general?

Mary-Margaret left the room, and a doctor walked in with a nurse – the same doctor from the previous night. Did this guy get any sleep?

"Nice to see you're awake," he said, smiling. "How are you feeling? Any severe pain?"

Emma shook her head as the nurse took her vitals and checked over David. "I'm sore, but I'm assuming that's normal… nothing terrible though." She'd had worse.

"Good, excellent," he said, looking at her charts. "Everything is looking good."

Emma smiled, relieved. She didn't want anything to go wrong.

Doctor Whale and the nurse gave her some information on things she didn't have, and helped her as she fed David for the first time. It was strange, the first time, but she felt so close to David, and she smiled. This was what a mother-child relationship felt like. Happy, normal… and just blissful. Like her relationship with Neal.

"So… am I free to go?" she asked, somewhat disappointed that Mary-Margaret wouldn't be able to speak with her.

There was something weird going on with her.

Doctor Whale nodded, before following the nurse to the door. "Yes, as soon as your husband gets here. Congratulations again."

With that, he was gone.

Emma smiled down at David, who stared up at her once again. "Can't believe you managed to convince me that living here would be better than living in Tallahassee." Then again, a small town like Storybrooke was much safer than a large city. "Kid, you're crazy, you know that?" she said with a chuckle as David squirmed a little, trying to get comfortable again. Emma adjusted him, shifting him around, and he settled, going back to the wide-eyed stare that already had her captivated.

Neal walked in soon after, smiling. "Hey," he said. "You ready to get out of here?"

Emma nodded. "Beyond ready."

Neal laughed, taking David from her arms so she could stand, and she looked up at him, slightly confused.

"So," she said. "Where do we go from here. Normal parents take their child to their home, where they have a nursery set up and everything…" They had none of that, and it would take days for their things to get to Storybrooke.

"Granny said we could stay at the inn for a week while we wait for our things and get everything set up," Neal said. "She has a crib set up for guests that say with young children, and I can take you to the store to get him what he'll need for the week, or I'll run and get it if you're too tired…"

"Everything is falling into place so quickly," Emma said, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "So what's going to happen that tears us apart?" She knew things didn't last forever, and she knew all good things came to an end. Something was bound to happen to them.

Neal took her hand, carefully cradling Henry with his other arm. "Whatever happens, I'll stay here by your side, and we can get through it. We've done it before, and we'll do it again."

"It's not about just you and I though anymore Neal."

"I know."

He wheeled her out of the hospital, helping her into the car, the car seat for David having been set up weeks ago in case she went into labor at any moment. After she made sure he was secure in it with the help of a nurse, Neal drove her back to Granny's.

She was quiet, looking out the window as she watched the scenery go by.

"Are you alright?" Neal asked, a question she barely heard.

She nodded. "I just… there's something strange about this town. I know we haven't been here long but… I don't know. It's just a weird feeling."

_N.P.O.V_

A weird feeling. Oh how right she was. But he knew now wasn't the time to tell her… he had no proof. While Emma wasn't exactly a hard-ass, she would never believe that she was the daughter of two fairytale characters, destined to break a curse and save her parents.

The same parents she currently believed threw her out like trash.

"Well…" he said carefully. "You are more special than you know, Emma. You'll find out one day… but not yet. You are meant for amazing things."

He saw Emma look at him, and he smiled at her. "Will you trust me?"

She looked confused, her face torn, but she nodded. "I trust you."

Neal smiled, secrets dancing in his eyes, he could tell. "Good. I promise, you won't be disappointed."

He just hoped she would understand Snow White and Prince Charming putting her in the wardrobe.


	11. Neal's Deal

A few days later, Emma was sitting in she and Neal's room at the inn, feeding David when there was a knock on the door.

"It's open!" she called, not wanting to stand up and jostle David.

There was a woman at the door. The mayor, from what Neal had told her. Neal had said he felt a little uneasy around her, and Emma understood why. The woman did not seem to be the most friendly of people.

Emma gave her a small smile. "Madam Mayor… what brings you here?"

Regina didn't return the smile. In fact, she looked angry about something, but she was trying to hide it, Emma could tell. She had always been good at reading people

Emma raised an eyebrow as the woman spoke.

"Congratulations. Your paperwork for the home on Main Street has been approved." Regina tried to force a smile, but Emma could tell she wasn't exactly happy about the new residents in Storybrooke. That was really weird, and Emma was getting another strange feeling about this town.

Emma beamed. "That's fantastic, thank you so much!" She found it odd, though, that the _mayor_ was here telling her this news and not the bank, like she'd heard was supposed to happen.

Regina gave her another tight smile. "You are welcome. And… once you get a job, of course, if you ever need me to watch David for you… I would be more than happy to."

Well, didn't _that_ make her feel uncomfortable? Still, this was the mayor, so Emma had a feeling acting creeped out and telling the woman to get out of the room would only end badly for them. So instead, she nodded. "Thank you again. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Regina gave her another uncomfortable smile… thing, and looked out the window. "You know, that clock's been stuck in the same position for as long as I can remember. Funny how it suddenly begins to work when two outsiders arrive."

With those uncomfortable words, she left the room.

She looked down at David as he pulled away from his meal. "There's something weird about this town, David…" she murmured, wiping some dribbles of milk from his mouth. "And I'm going to figure out what it is."

_N.P.O.V_

Neal walked down the main street of Storybrooke, having been looking into jobs that he could do here. There didn't seem to be much, but he didn't really expect Storybrooke to have the same things as Tallahassee. Even so, he was now bored, his attention span always having been terrible, something he never grew out of in his years out of Neverland.

He heard someone cry out, and ran over to the pawn shop he'd passed earlier in the day. He hurried inside it.

"Sir?" he called out, not knowing the man's name. "Is everything okay?"

"Back here, please help!"

Neal ran to the back room of the shop, where he found the owner (he assumed the man was the owner, and his name was 'Gold') laying on the ground, a box on one of his legs. Neal didn't hesitate, lifting the box off the man's legs before helping him up.

"Thank you," the man said, standing up properly with the can Neal handed to him. "Thank you very much young man." When he realized Neal was 'the new guy' in town, he smiled. "You are… the new man in town, yes? The one who's wife just had a baby?"

Neal nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Neal Cassidy."

"I'm Mister Gold… the owner of the shop, and I believe I have something for your boy. A little something to say… welcome to Storybrooke, and to thank you for helping me."

Mr. Gold went to one of the shelves, pulling out an old book, handing it to Neal.

"Thank you sir, but I'm afraid I don't have any money on me…" He'd paid for his lunch with the little he'd brought with him today.

"No no, no charge… if you would be willing to do me a favor…"

Neal raised an eyebrow. "Um… what would that be, sir?"

"Well, as saw, I'm not doing so well when it comes to sorting boxes and standing up with my cane. I want to hire you to help around my shop."

The man smiled. "Really? Oh that would be great sir! I was looking for a job but no one else seems to want to hire two strangers."

Mr. Gold laughed. "No, some in Storybrooke don't seem to want to accept outsiders, do they?"

Neal shook his head. "No, indeed. Thank you sir… when do you want me to start?"

The man smiled. "Tomorrow? Get here by, say, seven o'clock, so I can show you around the shop."

Neal was extremely grateful to the man. "That's fine sir."

Gold handed him the book with another smile. "Then I will see you in the morning, Mr. Cassidy."

Neal nodded, heading out of the shop, the book tucked under his arm, deep in his thoughts. The man seemed to be like any other kindly older gentleman, but Neal couldn't help but think that he knew of someone who would always make deals with other people in order to advance his agenda. Who was it…?

Well, he suppose for now, while the curse was still in effect, it didn't matter.

He headed into the inn, smiling at Granny, who was at the desk. "Morning Granny."

"Ah, hello dear," she said, smiling at him. "Any luck on the job hunt?"

He nodded. "Actually, yeah. Mr. Gold hired me to help him around the shop."

Granny's eyes widened. "Really? That's quite unlike him. That's wonderful though."

"Thanks Granny," he said, going upstairs to the room he and Emma had. "Hey Em, I'm back."

Emma was beaming, but put a finger to her lips. "David just settled down… I have some news for you… we got the house."

Neal stared. That house had been one of the smallest and least expensive in town, but even so, he'd been nervous that they wouldn't be able to get it. "Emma… that's amazing," he murmured, sitting next to her, smiling widely, not wanting to startle David. "I guess this means we're officially… retired from being Bonnie and Clyde."

His wife smiled and nodded. "Planting roots… something I never thought I would do."

Neither did he.

The book Mr. Gold gave him was still on his lap, and Emma snatched it while he was distracted.

"Where'd you get this?" she asked.

"Oh!" he said, chuckling a little, "it's from Mr. Gold, the man who owns the pawn shop. I helped him out today, and he gave me both a job and that book. He said it was a present for David."

Emma smiled. "'Once Upon a Time'… sounds like fairytales. Never thought I'd read fairytales to a son."

The man pressed a small kiss to her head. "Yeah well… fantasy is good for the kid."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, it is. Better than being stuck in awful reality like I was. Give him hope that I didn't have."

"Shall we take a look at it?" Neal asked.

"Sure."

Emma opened the book that was still on her lap, and Neal smiled. The first story was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

His jaw tightened, and he looked at Emma, who seemed entranced at the story, reading it silently in her head.

He wondered if she would believe it so soon. If she did, what would happen?

She was entranced though, only looking up when David fussed in his crib, crying because he was wet, or if he was hungry. It was like when she'd read the _Harry Potter_ in a week. He held David close, and the boy stared at her. Neal wondered if he was wondering what was wrong with his mother, why she was staring at a book.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat from Granny's?" he murmured, noticing that it was quite nearly dinnertime. Since they didn't have a stove yet, they were becoming quite accustomed to Granny's menu.

Like the regulars in town.

Emma nodded, still mute and reading the book, getting closer and closer to the end, where she would find herself… if she believed it.

Neal stood up, carefully settling David down in his stroller, grateful that Granny had shifted their room to the first floor so they could get out easily.

"Mom's special kiddo," he murmured when he was out of earshot of the room.

Neal was so distracted by David, he didn't notice Mr. Gold slipping into Granny's to collect on the money she owed him.

_E.P.O.V_

She needed to put the book down. She needed to meet Neal and David at Granny's Diner to eat dinner. This was ridiculous. They were fairytales, just written differently.

Finally, she set the book down on the bed and stood up, stretching her legs before grabbing her room key and heading out. When she passed the front desk, she heard Granny and someone else talking. It was a man with a thick accent.

Granny noticed her suddenly, and smiled. "Did you need something, dear?"

"Um… no, I was just going to go meet Neal at the diner."

The random man smiled, tucking something into his pocket. "Neal? You must be his wife."

Emma nodded. "I'm Emma."

"Emma…" he said, his tone turning strange. "What a lovely name."


	12. Emma's Deal

_Rumpelstiltskin P.O.V_

It was like a fog had been lifted from his mind. Her name the trigger, one he'd planned years ago..

He was Rumpelstiltskin, creator of the Dark Curse, father of Baelfire, and master manipulator.

She was here early, he realized as remembered the date. He supposed she'd taken the whole 'before her twenty-eighth birthday' thing to heart. He wondered how she was convinced to come here, because, as he knew from the history of this world, small towns in this… 'America', were not normally frequented by outsiders.

He knew though, that this stupid charade was going to have to continue until she broke the curse fully, and he could escape to find his son. With her coming so far from her birthday, he would have plenty of time before her birthday came and they were sent back to the Enchanted Forest.

Emma was giving him a funny look, so he simply smiled. "Nice to meet you officially, Emma," he told her. Right, because he'd hired her husband.

She gave him a shy smile. "You must be Mr. Gold. Thank you so much for the book. The fairytales in it are quite… different from the norm."

"That they are, dearie. That's why I thought they would be suited for your boy," he replied, the lie slipping easily off his tongue, and why shouldn't it? He'd been in this 'Mr. Gold' lie for nineteen years. "Well, I must go collect more rent. Goodbye."

He walked out the door, leaning on his cane (damn the limp in his leg that had come back).

_E.P.O.V_

"Who is he?" she asked Granny, getting an uneasy feeling about the man.

"He owns the place," was the reply.

"The Inn?"

"No," Ruby suddenly said, walking into the room in her uniform for Granny's. "He owns the town."

The town? That was odd.

"Oh," Emma said simply. "I see."

This town just got weirder and weirder the longer they stayed. But it made Emma just want to stay more and figure out all of its mysteries.

The room was filled with an awkward silence, until Granny spoke up again. "Red! You're needed at the diner. Ashley can't do everything by herself!"

Red stared at the older woman, before hurrying out of the inn, Emma following, having only just remembered that she was supposed to meet Neal for lunch.

"Who's Ashley?" Emma asked.

"She's my friend… she does what she can around town. She's pregnant, _very_ pregnant… and she's got a scumbag boyfriend who claims to want nothing to do with her," Red explained.

"But he does want to be with her, doesn't he?"

Red nodded. "Yeah. His father isn't… great."

"That's awful."

"I know… maybe you can… be there for her? You have more in common with her than I do right now, with having a child so young yourself."

Emma nodded. "Maybe."

She hoped she would be able to help this 'Ashley' girl out, anyway.

"Emma!" Neal's voice called out from what was now considered 'their' booth.

She smiled, making her way over to her family, David comfortably in his stroller, Neal sipping at some iced tea.

"Hi," she said, taking a seat across from him. "I decided to take a break from the book… clear my head."

He looked concerned. "Oh?"

She nodded. "You know how my intuition is… it was calling out to me… like something was wrong. I haven't finished it yet, but… I don't know. I'm going crazy, aren't I?"

He reached over, squeezing her hand. "Emma… you're not going crazy, trust me. Just… trust what that book says, okay? It'll all come together."

"Neal, you're scaring me," she said, smiling a little as a girl whom she didn't recognize put a glass of water in front of her. Emma got a closer look at her and realized she was heavily pregnant. This must have been Ashley, the girl Ruby told her about. "Are you Ashley?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. You're the new family in town, right? What would you like?"

Emma smiled. "I'll take a hotdog. Plain, with fries, and an iced tea."

Ashley nodded, jotting down the order before rubbing her stomach and turning to Neal. "And you?"

"Just a cheeseburger, with everything on it. We can split the fries."

Emma gave him a challenging look. She loved French fries, and he knew she didn't share them well.

She knew though, that he was planning something since he didn't immediately jump back to the conversation they were having. There was something weird going on with this town, and it involved Neal. How was that possible though? Things like what she was thinking about… didn't exist, did it? It couldn't. This world wasn't magical. It wasn't fun. It was full of heartache, not happy endings… as strange as the book Mr. Gold gave her was.

"Are you okay, Emma?" Neal asked.

Emma nodded. "Tell me what you meant earlier… about it all coming together. Do you know something I don't?"

Neal looked conflicted, but it quickly went away. Dammit. He was going to lie again. Emma was just going to have to figure this out for herself then, she supposed.

"Emma… if I told you, you would never believe me," he replied. "Just trust me, and always keep an open mind, alright? No matter how strange things may seem."

Emma wasn't frightened now, but God, this made her want to know everything he was talking about. "A-alright Neal. I trust you. As long as nothing happens to us."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing will happen to us, I promise Emma."

"Okay," she whispered. "I trust you… why do I feel like I've had to do that a lot recently?"

A laugh escaped him. "Because you worry too much about things that are good."

Really, he wasn't helping stop her curiosity.

"Did you like the book though? What you read of it, anyway."

Emma nodded as Ashley brought their food over. She saw the wince of pain and stood up. "Here… let me help."

Ashley shook her head. "No, you're the customer."

"And you're pregnant," Emma replied. "Believe me, you need to relax, as much as you can."

Ashley let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah. Relax. Maybe if I was like you and had support."

Emma frowned a little, opening her mouth to speak, but Ashley disappeared. She felt Neal's hand on her own as David napped quietly in the stroller next to him.

"Don't let her get to you Emma," he told her. "She's just stressed I think. Like you were when you got to be that pregnant."

Emma raised an eyebrow, sneakily moving the plate of fries toward her. "I think this is more than that. I think she's really upset with something Neal."

Neal shrugged. "You would know better than I do."

Emma tapped his nose with a slight smirk. "I'll try to talk to her after her shift… Ruby told me about her."

"Really? That's kinda weird that she'd tell you something like that."

"Maybe she thought I would be good for her because I'm so young."

Neal shrugged again. "Probably."

Emma sighed, looking at the girl sitting on one of the stools, an occasional wince crossing her features. Emma wanted to help her, she did, but she didn't want to push her. There was something she was hiding, Emma could tell.

She would let Ashley come to her own conclusions though. She knew pushing wouldn't end well…

 

* * *

 

About a week later, Emma was sitting in a booth at Granny's with David when Mary-Margaret walked up to her. Emma smiled, greeting her and inviting her to sit down. The teacher had a concerned look on her face and Emma frowned a little.

"Everything okay?" Emma asked.

"One of my old students, Ashley… she's missing. No one's seen her in two days."

Emma stared as David gurgled. "Missing?"

Mary-Margaret nodded. "Yeah… no one knows where she is, and since she's pregnant it's even worse…"

Emma bit her lip. She really hoped she didn't have anything to do with the disappearance… but she needed to find her. She was good at finding people.

Well, besides her parents.

She doubted Ashley could have gone very far though.

"That's awful," Emma said, nervously stirring her straw in the iced tea in front of her. "But I think I might be able to help…"

"You do?"

Emma nodded, shrugging a little. "I have a knack for finding things… and it's not like she could have gotten very far at all, with how pregnant she is."

Mary-Margaret nodded. "I would suggest going to the Sheriff's station and asking to help first… if Regina finds out you're snooping around, she won't be happy."

Regina? What did she have to do with any of this, and why did Mary-Margaret seem to be so concerned with what Regina thought of her?

David gurgled from his carrier next to her, and Emma rocked him gently. "I'll be fine," Emma said. "Trust me."

Mary-Margaret smiled a little, looking at David. "Just… don't step on Regina's toes. She knows how to get to people, and I don't want to see anything happen to you. You're new in town, you don't deserve what she's capable of."

Emma leaned across the table, looking at Mary-Margaret in the eyes. "She has no idea what I'm capable of either."

Mary-Margaret smiled again. "I'm sure she doesn't."

"Will you watch David for me, for a while? Neal's at work and I want to get to work," Emma said, leaning back again. "I have all of his things…"

The dark haired woman nodded. "Of course Emma."

Emma smiled, grateful to the woman. She was glad she'd found someone other than Neal that she felt she could trust with her son. Bowing her head, she kissed David's head softly. "Mommy'll be back soon David, promise."

David squirmed a little at the kiss, but settled easily as Emma put him in Mary-Margaret's arms. Grabbing the keys, Emma quickly left the diner, going to the bug.

Sheriff's station? No. Emma worked better alone or with Neal, not with a stranger. She headed off to near the edge of the town line, when she spotted a car, crashed into a ditch. Emma's eyes widened, getting out of her bug. "Ashley?!" she shouted. "Ashley, are you here?"

She heard a whimper from deep in the ditch, and the young woman carefully moved into it. "Ashley?"

"E-Emma…"

Ashley didn't sound happy that she'd been found.

Emma reached out, but Ashley didn't take her hand, instead clutching her stomach. Emma's eyes widened as she realized what it meant.

Labor.

"I have to get you to the hospital."

Ashley shook her head. "No… E-Emma I can't! You d-don't unders-stand…"

"I understand that if I don't, you're going to give birth in some disgusting underbrush outside on the side of the road. Do you really want that?" Emma said, her eyes shining with concern. "Ashley, please let me get you to the hospital."

Ashley had tears in her eyes, sniffling. "Can I tell you in the car?"

Emma nodded. "Of course." Carefully, Emma helped her to the Bug, making sure she was secure in it before getting into the driver's side and pulling away from the edge of town.

"I…I agreed to give Alexandra to Mr. Gold… I was so-so scared of being pregnant, and Sean and I are having issues, I thought I wanted to give her up, but… seeing you and Neal together… I want her back, but… I tried to beg him to stop the deal, to do something else but he refused," Ashley explained, in tears. "What am I going to do?"

Emma reached over, squeezing her hand. "Don't worry. You'll figure something out."

Ashley bit her lip. "I-I hope so…"

Emma pulled up to the hospital, helping Ashley inside, letting the doctors take care of her. It was all she could do for now.

Sighing, Emma went to the payphone, calling Granny's. She knew Ruby would want to know that Ashley was okay.

_"Granny's Diner, Ruby speaking."_

"Ruby? It's Emma. I'm at the hospital with Ashley."

_"Ashley?! Oh my God! Is she okay?"_

"She's fine, but she's in labor. I-I thought you would know who else to call. I don't know her family, or Sean…"

_"Don't worry about it. I'll be there soon. Thanks Emma."_

"No problem…"

With that, Emma hung up the phone.

"Mrs. Swan-Cassidy?"

At the voice, Emma jumped a little, before she noticed Mr. Gold standing behind her. Her heart sank a little, knowing Ashley's deal with him.

"Mr. Gold," Emma said, smiling a little. "What brings you here?"

"I volunteer here on my off days. Now that I have your husband working at my shop, I have more time," Gold explained. "What are you doing here? Nothing is wrong with David I hope."

Emma shook her head. "No, nothing like that sir. I… found a woman in labor on the side of the road. She crashed her car and I drove her here."

"Ah… Miss Boyd?"

Emma nodded. "She… told me about a deal she made with you."

"Did she now? What kind of deal?"

"To give up her baby. Mr. Gold, please don't take the baby away from her… I-I'll make a deal with you if you let her out of hers."

Gold thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Alright Miss Swan. When the time comes, I will collect on our deal."

He hobbled away, leaving Emma to shiver and wonder if she'd done the right thing.


	13. Realization

Ashley had been further along in her labor than Emma had been anticipating. Only two hours after she's brought her in, did Ashley have a little girl in her arms. Emma smiled as the doctor allowed her to go inside, and stood by the door.

"Emma, isn't she beautiful?" Ashley asked, holding the little girl –Alexandra- close to her chest.

The woman nodded. "Yeah, she's gorgeous… and I told to Mr. Gold. He's agreed to null out your deal."

Ashley's eyes widened. "You mean I can…"

"You can keep Alexandra," Emma said with a wide smile. She was nervous about what Mr. Gold would ask her to do, but she knew that it would be for the best if it meant keeping a mother and child together. She didn't know what she would do if she ever had to be separated from David.

"Emma… you don't know how much this means to me. Thank you so much… you barely know me and you… you did that for me."

Emma shrugged. "It was for the best. I can't imagine being in that situation, having David taken away from me, and I knew that you wanted to keep your baby too so…"

The other blonde smiled. "I can never repay you for your kindness."

"You don't have to…" Emma said. "Just be a good mother."

Ashley nodded. "Thanks again Emma."

Emma waved her hand. "I'd better get back. See you around Ashley."

"Bye Emma."

As Emma left the ward, she noticed a guy walking toward Ashley's room and wondered if it was Sean.

Emma stopped at a corridor to adjust the strap of her sandal, when she got an urge to explore the ward. Looking around to make sure no one was around, she slipped down the hallway.

There was a man laying in a bed. 'John Doe'. Why did he look so familiar to Emma?

_The book._

Emma stared, looking at the man, but not daring to go into the room, lest someone come in and catch her.

He had a scar on his chin, like Prince Charming in the book.

Oh God, what was she doing? Lots of people had scars, and the guy was in the hospital – it probably happened when he had his accident, or whatever had caused him to land here. Even so, she just had a _feeling_ that something was off about this situation.

The girl rolled her neck, before hurrying out of the hospital and back to Granny's, where she found Mary-Margaret with David, bouncing him gently in her arms, and smiled a little. She seemed natural with him.

"I'm so sorry that took so long Mary-Margaret. You are a saint," Emma said, dropping into the booth. "I didn't think it would."

"Is everything okay?" Mary-Margaret asked, handing David over to Emma.

Emma nodded, adjusting the boy in her arms. "Yeah. I found her. She was by the town line, in labor, so I stayed with her until she gave birth."

Mary-Margaret smiled. "That's great Emma."

Emma smiled, slipping her wallet out of her purse carefully. "Please let me give you something for watching him."

"Emma-"

"I mean it."

The teacher sighed. "If you're going to force it, I'll take a twenty."

Emma managed to get the bill out of her wallet while still holding onto David. Mary-Margaret smiled, putting it in her purse.

"Hey, Mary-Margaret," Emma said. "You're a volunteer at the hospital right?"

The dark-haired woman nodded.

"What's the story with that John Doe?"

Mary-Margaret frowned. "I don't know. He's been there as long as I can remember. No family to speak of has ever come to see him – just the doctors or volunteers. Why?"

Emma shrugged, setting David down in his stroller. "I was walking around the hospital before I came back… seems kind of odd that you guys have a John Doe in a small town."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Hm, that's true."

"I don't mean to pry – "

"Emma, you live here now too. You can feel things are odd if you want. No one can stop that."

Emma couldn't help but smile. "Thanks Mary-Margaret. It means a lot."

Mary-Margaret returned it. "Just remember, be careful around Regina."

Emma nodded. "I will, I will…"

She didn't understand what the big deal was with Regina. "Why is everyone so scared of her?"

Mary-Margaret looked nervous, looking down at her empty plate. "She seems to have information on all of us. I don't know how she gets it…"

That made Emma a bit nervous. "Information?"

Mary-Margaret nodded. "Yeah. Stuff I don't even remember doing."

Emma frowned, but didn't say anything more. There was something so wrong with this town.

* * *

Neal looked up as Mr. Gold returned to the shop from… wherever it was he'd been. The man had a smirk hidden in his eyes, and Neal raised an eyebrow as he seemed to be _humming_ something as he went to one of the many boxes he wouldn't allow Neal to see.

"You're in a good mood today, sir…" Neal said carefully, sweeping the floor to give himself something to do.

Mr. Gold smiled at Neal. "Yes, I am. Your wife has made a wonderful deal with me."

Well, wasn't that concerning?

"A deal, sir?"

Gold nodded. "Yes. But do not worry. It doesn't involve your child, and she will not be harmed."

That didn't make Neal feel any better, in fact, he made him look at the man with more curiosity. He vaguely remembered Peter trusting he and his brother with something really big – about his father. Neal and his brother, Thomas, had been surprised that Peter remembered anyone, considering they only had very vague memories of their parents.

_"I'm going to trust you two with something, and I need you to not say anything to any of the other boys – and more importantly, to Hook. Do you understand?"_

_The twins nodded._

_"My father was a man who made deals, but never fully explained what they were. He was a bad man. He let me fall into a portal… that's why I wound up here."_

_"I don't get it," Neal said._

_"He broke our deal. I wound up becoming a Lost Boy."_

_"Like us!" the twins chorused._

_Peter nodded. "Like you. I was the first boy here. The fairies helped me out so much… and then the boys started showing up."_

_"So who was your father?" Neal had asked. "Was he really that bad of a man? I mean, we have fun here. We don't have to grow up and be mean like Hook!"_

_Peter shrugged. "I guess not. But the fact that he dropped his own son down a magical portal…"_

_The twins looked at each other, confused. "Magic portal? Like the second star to the right in the world where we grow up?"_

_Peter nodded. "That's right. My dad and I were supposed to go to that world… but a fairy stopped me, brought me here."_

_"Who was your dad?"_

_"His name was Rumpelstiltskin."_

_"Do you miss him?"_

_Their leader looked torn, before finally nodding. "Yes. I do."_

Oh God. Oh _God!_ Mr. Gold was Rumpelstiltskin. Peter's father. What the hell did he do now?

"Mr. Cassidy? Is everything alright?" he heard Mr. Gold ask.

Neal shook his head. "Uh… Mr. Gold…is there something about this town that Emma and I have to do?"

Gold's eyes widened. "How did you guess that?"

"That book… Rumpelstiltskin."

The last thing Neal expected with a man with as bad a limp as Mr. Gold was to be slammed into the back room and thrown against the ground, with a cane at his throat.

"How did you know?"

Neal gasped, unable to breathe, and Gold loosened the cane, though just barely. "I-I-I'm like you. I'm a character from a book."

Gold raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how that's possible dearie. I know everyone that came through with the curse. You were not in the Enchanted Forest."

"I know," Neal gasped. "I was a Lost Boy in Neverland. I knew your son."

That seemed to shock Gold out of his anger, and the cane moved away from his throat. "You – you knew Bae?"

Gasping, Neal grasped his throat. "Now he goes by Peter Pan."


	14. You Know Me, I Know You

His son wasn't in this world.

No. This couldn't be possible.

But could he trust what this man was saying? Then again, he had shown up with the woman who was supposed to break the curse _and_ knew who he really was.

Still… a little _minor_ interrogation wouldn't hurt much, would it?

"If you say that this boy was my son, and that you were indeed in Neverland… what did he say about me?" he asked, the can now pressed against Neal Cassidy's chest, to prevent the man from being able to get up.

The man gasped, then began to speak. "He only told my twin brother and I about you. He was the first Lost Boy in Neverland… became our leader when the rest of us arrived. He told us that you broke a deal with him, and that he fell down a magic portal that was supposed to take him to a land where he grew up…"

"A land without magic," Rumpelstiltskin said.

Neal Cassidy nodded. "He said he… he still cared about you. Still loved you."

Rumpelstiltskin stared. "Really?" Bae still cared for him, after he'd… broken their deal and… lost him for three hundred years?

The man nodded again. "Yes."

"Was he… happy?"

At that question, the man frowned a little. "As happy as he could be. I think he used the magic of Neverland to try and forget the pain of… what you did. There was a man there – Captain Hook – who would constantly be after him."

_Hook._

"Hook is in Neverland?"

"Yes… but he disappeared before my brother and I left to come back to this world. I don't know where he went."

"So my son should be safe from him."

"Yes, he should be. Providing he didn't come here once he realized all of the Lost Boys were ready to… grow up," Cassidy explained.

Rumpelstiltskin's heart jumped. So he could be here after all. Bae could still be here. He might not have been wrong after all.

Slowly, he moved the cane off the other man. Cassidy sat up, breathing heavily.

"So. You know who I am, and I know who you are. We are in quite a pickle, aren't we, Mr. Cassidy?" Rumpelstiltskin said, leaning against the damned stick. He couldn't wait to get back to the Enchanted Forest so he could get rid of the limp.

Cassidy stood slowly, looking at the man with the same look he got many, many times over his hundreds of years as The Dark One.

"So…" Cassidy said. "Where do we go from here?"

Rumpelstiltskin tapped his finger against his cane. "Well… how is Emma doing with her belief of the curse, and all of… _this_?"

Cassidy sighed and shrugged a little. "I think she realizes that something isn't quite right with the town, and I think the book freaks her out because of the eerie… coincidences in it… but she's not believing in it. She thinks she's crazy every time she mentions it to me."

"So she is mentioning it to you." That was a start. He knew that people raised in this damned world wouldn't believe in magic as easily as those from the Enchanted Forest. The memories of 'Mr. Gold' didn't believe in fairytales and magic.

Frustrating, considering who he actually was.

The man nodded. "Yes, she is."

"Hmm…" Rumpelstiltskin said. "That is a start."

"I want to ease her into it, you know? Emma didn't have the best life, and she's pretty hard."

"So I gathered. She's… a troublemaker isn't she?"

"How do you figure?"

Rumpelstiltskin laughed a little. "Anyone who makes a deal with me _is_ a troublemaker."

"Considering the book, I guess I can't argue with that."

"That book is a troublemaker too. Though it is useful in getting Emma to remember," Rumpelstiltskin said, leaning against the can. "I suppose certain things will have to be… nudged a little."

"Nudged? Nudged how?"

"Make things happen. Things quite out of the ordinary… well, more so than what she has seen already. The fuzzy memories in the other townsfolk are probably something, but we need something more. Of course, I don't have magic, so we'll have to be creative."

"We'll think of things…" Cassidy said. "And who knows what else might go on now that Emma's here."

"Indeed…" Rumpelstiltskin said, looking out the window. "The clock tower, for example, has been frozen as long as we've been here."

Cassidy's eyes widened. "So… her parents…"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "Are now only ten years older than her. We have all been frozen in time."

"Where is her father? We met Snow but…"

Rumpelstiltskin looked down. He didn't particularly c _are_ about the Savior or her husband, nor her parents, but Charming did not deserve the fate that Regina gave to him in this world. Charming had helped him tremendously, and Rumpelstiltskin wasn't afraid to admit that.

"He's a coma patient at the hospital. He has no identity that we know of."

In fact, Rumpelstiltskin had seen him today, at the hospital, when he'd run into Emma.

Cassidy sighed. "So… could it be possible to nudge him awake?"

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. "I suppose… but if we do, who knows _what_ he might remember – if anything."

The man-turned-imp-turned-man again didn't know how this would go.

"Him awakening will set Regina off, won't it?"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "She created the curse to make Snow White unhappy… if her Prince Charming wakes up and they're reunited… then Snow White is far from depressed."

Cassidy leaned against one of the cabinets. "If he wakes up and remembers who he really is, Regina will try to hurt him… and I can't put Emma through that, whether or not she believes in the book."

"Ah, protective. Naturally, coming from a Lost Boy. We'll make sure that Regina isn't able to get what she wants."

He had an impish grin on his face. Yes, Regina had given him what he wanted, but damn if she wasn't a pain in the ass to his 'counterpart'.

Plus it was fun to watch her squirm. He didn't know _why_ he felt it so much more fun to watch Regina squirm over say, Snow White, but it was.

"Do not worry Mr. Cassidy," Rumpelstiltskin said. "We will figure something out since you work for me now."

Cassidy nodded. "Alright… thank you sir."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "Good luck."

The sooner the curse broke, the sooner he could find Bae… and he had a feeling that Mr. Cassidy and Mrs. Swan-Cassidy would be a big help.

* * *

Mary-Margaret Blanchard walked into the room with John Doe inside it. It was strange, but she felt drawn to the man. Ridiculous really, considering he was comatose and probably had some sort of family… even though no family ever showed up to confirm who he was.

"You know what my favorite story is?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. "Snow White… and my friend Emma has shown me a different version that I can't help but like better…"

So Mary-Margaret, with nothing to do at home, sat next to John Doe and began telling the story from Emma's book.

When she got to the end, where the prince kissed Snow White to wake her from the sleeping curse, she felt a warm hand on hers, and she gasped.

He'd moved.

Well, now what did she do? Go to Whale? She knew she should, but she somehow felt like she shouldn't. Instead, she bit her lip, leaning closer to him. "Wake up…" she whispered. "I know you can wake up…"

She had to leave, she knew she did, but she didn't want to. "I'll be back tomorrow…" she whispered again before standing up, managing to drag herself away from the mysterious man in the hospital bed.

* * *

Neal awoke the next morning to a text from Mr. Gold.

_He's awake._


	15. Awakening

Neal let out a breath as he stared at his phone. Emma's father was awake. Now what happened with him? Did he have a cursed identity? Did he remember his life in the Enchanted Forest? If he did, what would they do about Regina, if she knew that he was awake? This was not good… or was it? He didn't know anymore.

He looked over at his wife, who was still sleeping peacefully, dreaming hopefully about things that made her happy.

Until _her_ phone started ringing on the table on her side of the bed. He saw her wake with a start, before she reached over to answer it. He busied himself with his cell phone.

_How is he?_

_Not sure. He escaped the hospital late last night. Ran into Sheriff, he told me._

"Neal, that John Doe in the hospital is awake!"

Emma's voice startled him, and he looked at her with a smile. "That's great Emma. How is he?"

She got out of bed, quickly going to their dresser to grab clothes. "Mary-Margaret said he was physically alright, but that he doesn't remember anything… but…"

Neal raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"He has amnesia… he doesn't remember anything. I'm going to meet Mary at Granny's to talk to her. I'll let you know if I hear anything juicy," Emma explained, buttoning up her jeans. "I'll take David with, since you have work."

The man nodded. "Okay. Have fun."

Emma leaned over and kissed him. "Have a good day at work."

"Thanks Emma… have fun with Mary," Neal replied, pressing his lips against hers again before she left the room, Neal getting out of bed to change. He didn't know where the day would go now that Charming had woken up.

* * *

"Mary-Margaret!" Emma called, waving the woman over near Granny's. When the teacher noticed Emma, she smiled, hurrying her footsteps.

"So what exactly happened last night?" she asked as they made their way inside the diner.

Mary-Margaret looked exhausted, and Emma raised an eyebrow. How much sleep had she gotten last night?

"It was the weirdest thing Emma," the woman replied. "I was telling him that story of Snow White from your book. I didn't have anything else to do so…" she shrugged a little, and Emma nodded. "So as I got to the end of the story, where Prince Charming kisses Snow, he…"

Emma's eyes widened. "He what?"

"He grabbed my hand."

Emma stared, unaware that her eyes could get much wider. "He grabbed your hand?! What did you do?"

Mary-Margaret looked down into the hot chocolate Ruby brought them. "I didn't do anything… I left the room… and then I got a call from Sheriff Graham. He'd managed to get out of the hospital somehow. I felt like it was my fault, so I helped Graham find him."

Emma was so confused, yet fascinated by this story. "Then…?"

"I found him but he wasn't breathing right, so I started CPR on him… I didn't even know I could do CPR… but it worked, he came back."

"That's incredible!" Emma said, sipping at her own hot chocolate with cinnamon. "So did he remember anything?"

"No… nothing," Mary-Margaret replied. "But this morning, before I called you…"

The woman stopped, looking down, and Emma frowned. "What?"

"His wife showed up…"

She seemed depressed about this, and Emma didn't understand why. He was a John Doe, and Mary-Margaret said she didn't know him, so why be upset by this?

"You're upset. Why?" Emma asked.

Mary-Margaret sighed again. "I don't know what it is Emma… but I almost feel a-a connection to him."

"Mary-Margaret… he's an amnesiac… he doesn't know anyone. How can you guys have a connection? I know you saved his life but…"

"I know, I know, it sounds crazy but… I just can't help it."

Well, there were crazier things she'd heard about, especially in this town.

* * *

He was confused.

David, or whoever he was, looked up at the blonde woman, his wife, she'd said, and forced a smile, though he didn't really feel anything for her. Though he supposed it could be because he didn't remember anything about his life.

_David_ was the only thing that felt right with what she was saying. Things about a dog, a windmill outside their house… and hell, the woman next to him on his bed, felt wrong.

Though the woman that had found him and saved him… she felt right too. He remembered what Kathryn said – they'd been having marital problems. That obviously meant something bad, right?

"Oh David, I'm just so happy that you're okay. That woman was so brave to go after you, wasn't she?" Kathryn said.

David nodded, but he was getting a headache. All of this felt _wrong_.

"Kathryn," he said. "How long have we been married?"

Kathryn frowned. "I… well, as long as I can remember."

_That_ he knew was wrong. Didn't people remember years? Especially when it came to their marriage?

"Oh," he replied, forcing a smile. "Feels like forever then, huh?"

Kathryn brightened. "It sure does. This is our second chance… isn't it wonderful?"

"Yeah," he replied, trying to keep his tone as happy as hers. "It's great."

But it wasn't. It wasn't great at all. He tried to focus, to get his memories back, but nothing Kathryn showed him clicked. Nothing she told him clicked. Everything felt wrong except for the name 'David' and Mary-Margaret, the volunteer that had saved his life, and kept him company when Kathryn wasn't there.

So when he was finally released from the hospital, after weeks of still not being able to remember anything and hating the feeling Kathryn gave him whenever they kissed, he had asked Mary-Margaret to meet him somewhere, and he would have his answer as to what he'd do. She had agreed, and told him to meet her at the Toll Bridge, in the woods away from town, good.

But damn, for a small town, this map was confusing. Sighing, David looked up at the sky, as if it would tell him where to go.

"Need some help, Mr. Nolan?" a voice asked.

He jumped a little, startled. The Mayor stood before him, smiling a little.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be great," he said with a smile. "I'm looking for the Toll Bridge."

Regina's smile grew. "It's just down there… there's a path that leads into the woods, and to the Bridge. Good luck."

David smiled. "Thank you Mayor Mills."

Setting off, David frowned a little when he realized this must not have been the way to the Toll Bridge. He sighed again, and went into the pawn shop that was there.

He ran a hand through his hair when he realized no one was there to help him. Great. Turning away from the counter, his eyes widened when he saw a unicorn mobile hanging near him. That…. That felt familiar. Reaching up, he brushed his fingers against one of the horses, and something shot through him.

_"I will find you!"_

_"The glass coffin gave me pause…"_

_"Emma… her name is Emma."_

_"Find us."_

_"Charming…"_

_Charming…_

_Charming…_

"Charming, isn't it?"

His head snapped up, eyes wide as he Charming for who had the voice. "Rumpelstiltskin," he said, his voice low. He looked different, but Charming would recognize the imp anywhere.

"So you do remember. Good."

"Why wouldn't I remember?" Charming asked, shaking his head to get rid of the rest of the fog that had seemed to settle over him.

"Regina's curse ripped us from the Enchanted Forest… no one but you and I remember who we are… well, and your son-in-law."

Charming stared. "Son-in-law?"

"It's been eighteen years, Charming," Rumpelstiltskin said. "You've been comatose. Which I suppose is a good thing… all things considered. Now you'll have a reason to go to your _real_ wife."

"Snow…" something about the 'Toll Bridge' rang with him. Was that where he was supposed to meet her? "Right… where is the Toll Bridge?"

Rumpelstiltskin told him. "Meet me here tomorrow at noon… I'll introduce you to Neal, and possibly your grandson."

So he had a son-in-law, a daughter he wasn't able to raise, a grandson, and a wife that didn't remember him.

Oh, and Abigail as a fake wife.

No wonder this was called a curse.

"What about Abigail?" he asked. "I know that my alter ego left her, but… with me not him anymore, what should I do?"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "I suppose what you could do is… say you need space and time to get your memories back… Unfortunately, this means you'll need to try and stay away from Snow as well. Not always, but enough to make everyone think all you are is friends."

Gods, this was going to be tough.

"When will the curse break?" Charming asked.

"I don't know," Rumpelstiltskin said. "I really don't. Soon, I hope. But that all depends on your daughter, Charming… if Neal can make her believe soon, then soon. If not… then it will take a while. You cannot rush things like this Charming. People in this world… they aren't believers in magic and fantasy."

Charming sighed. "I should go… meet Snow."

"Mary-Margaret."

"Right."

Charming gave Rumpelstiltskin another look before walking out the door, going to the Toll Bridge.

His wife was there, her beautiful long hair cropped short… he didn't like it. Yet another thing Regina had taken away from her.

"I didn't think you'd show up…" Snow said, looking nervous.

He smiled. "Why wouldn't I? I care about you."

She gave him a nervous smile. "So… what did you decide?"

He bit his lip. "I'm going ahead with the divorce… but we can't risk being seen together too often… we don't want anything to happen. Kathryn is upset enough with my choice."

But he didn't know how long she would be upset. He would find Frederick, and hopefully, reunite another couple.

Mary-Margaret nodded. "I understand… that doesn't mean that we have to stay apart forever… right?"

Charming shook his head. "Of course not… just not for a while. We have to make things look slow and normal, you understand, right? Friends for now, and then it'll… grow."

Mary-Margaret smiled. "Okay David… thank you."

Charming returned her smile, wishing desperately that she could remember. He leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her lips, before squeezing her hand. "It will all work out Mary-Margaret. Have faith."

She smiled a little. "I will David… I promise."

* * *

"What have you discovered about them?" Regina asked, looking at Sidney. "Anything good?"

Sidney shrugged a little, and Regina glared. This wasn't going to end well.

"Well… Emma was bounced around from foster home to foster home, and Neal was found with his brother as a fourteen year old in the middle of the woods. Emma was found on the side of a highway. Oh and… you will like this Madam Mayor."

Regina's ears perked. "Oh?"

"Neal was wanted for robbery."

Regina smirked. This was perfect.


	16. August

Emma woke with a startled yell from her husband, hearing David begin to cry soon after. It must have startled him as well. Hurrying out of bed, Emma moved downstairs to find her husband staring at the newspaper in his hands.

"Neal? What happened?" Emma asked.

"They found out about my… my robbery…"

Emma stared. "No… how is this possible? We were so careful to try and get rid of it!"

Neal groaned, putting his head in his hands. "What are we going to do?"

Emma began shaking as David sniffled, reaching for her. She lifted him up, shaking her head. Just when they found something stable, friends, jobs… everything normal, it was ripped from them because of his past. Damn all of this. "I don't know Neal. We can't pack up and leave… that would look too suspicious."

Plus, she was starting to like Storybrooke, with all of its quirks.

"We could try to play it off as a fake story… after all, no one has come after us… things have died down since I found the watches and they were returned to the jewelry store…" Emma suggested, biting her lip as she rocked David gently.

Neal ran a hand through his hair. "We're going to have to try that…"

Emma squeezed his hand, before hearing the doorbell ring. "I'll get it," she murmured, handing David over to his father.

Mr. Gold and the John Doe – _David_ -, Emma remembered Mary-Margaret saying, were standing on the porch.

"Mr. Gold…" Emma said, "how can I help you? Is… is everything okay?" Oh God, was he here to fire Neal?

"Mrs. Swan-Cassidy, hello," Gold said with a smile. "Everything is fine, I just wanted to talk to your husband in private… it seems that some reporters are snooping around my shop."

"I'm so sorry about that Mr. Gold," Emma replied, going bright red. "We thought that was behind us but… I guess we were wrong."

Gold and David entered the house, Emma closing the door behind them as they went to Neal, who gave Gold and David a strange look. Emma couldn't help but feel that the men were hiding something from her, but she kept quiet. No need to confront them in front of their son.

"You three look like you have something to talk about," Emma said. "I'll leave you guys alone then. I need to talk to Granny about a job anyway."

It was a lie, but she had a feeling they wanted to be left alone, so Emma kissed Neal softly before leaving the house.

* * *

Uh-oh. His father-in-law was right there, looking at him with, not the look of a stranger with amnesia, but the look of knowing Neal had screwed up big time. He'd probably read the paper. Dammit.

"Charming…" he said, nervous. "It's nice to meet you."

"Don't think that just because I don't know much about this world doesn't mean I don't understand what that paper said. You were wanted for stealing twenty thousand dollars worth of watches?" Charming said, and Neal visibly winced, holding… David Henry close.

Neal nervously shook his head. "I… I was young… didn't have much money… so I took the watches and planned to pawn them off in Vancouver. I stopped in Portland and that's… where I met Emma… she found the watches and turned them into the cops. Everything we own is legit, I swear sir."

David Henry fussed in his arms, and Neal bounced him. "This is… this is David. Your grandson."

Charming's eyes went from furious to shock, softening when he realized that the boy held some resemblance to Emma, and in turn, to he and Snow.

"You named him David?" Charming asked, looking surprised.

Neal nodded. "Yeah… Emma said she always liked the name, so that's what we went with."

The man let out a slight laugh. "You unknowingly named him after me."

"I thought your name was James… that's what the book said."

Charming sighed. "Long story."

"One we don't have time to tell," Mr. Gold said. "We need to figure out how to break this curse. Knowing Regina, she will have outsiders trying to come in to arrest you… and there is nothing that will stop them from taking you, Mr. Cassidy."

Neal stared. "No… no that can't happen… but I can't exactly force Emma to believe. It's impossible."

The other men nodded.

"You know, there is something…" Mr. Gold said. "A man came into town a couple of days ago… he was looking for Emma."

Neal had a bad feeling about this. "Was his name August?"

Gold shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't say his name."

"Did he have a motorcycle?"

"He did indeed."

Neal groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "He's been trying to convince Emma of the curse since we were in Portland. He tried to convince me to leave Emma and let her break the curse herself… but I couldn't do that to her."

"As well you shouldn't," Gold replied.

Neal nodded a little. "Then he found us in Vancouver, tried to get me to leave her again, but I still didn't listen. He freaks Emma out, so involving him would be… dangerous, and counterproductive."

Gold nodded. "I understand that… how is she doing with the book?"

"She's still reading it, but for some reason she seems to get stuck when… well, you guys were in the dungeon discussing the curse."

An impish laugh escaped Gold, and Neal couldn't help but shrug. "It's almost like something inside of her knows that the truth is there somewhere, but she's afraid to actually find it."

Rumpelstiltskin frowned a little. "Then you must teach her now not to be afraid. Somehow…"

* * *

"Mrs. Swan-Cassidy! Mrs. Swan-Cassidy!" a voice said.

Emma mentally groaned. She didn't know the voice well, but she knew who it belonged to. Sidney Glass – a reporter for that damn newspaper who had somehow, and probably illegally, got the scoop about Neal's having been wanted for robbery. Even though she wasn't sure how Neal really felt about the 'lie about it' thing, she knew she was going to have to roll with it.

"What do you want, Mr. Glass?" she asked, looking at the man with a sneer as she stopped right in front of Granny's.

"How do you feel knowing that your husband is a wanted man?"

"Excuse me?" Emma replied, looking offended at his words. "He is _not_ a wanted man. That is made up."

"Do you deny the wanted posters?" he asked. "That is hard to deny Mrs. Swan-Cassidy."

Emma glared. "I stand by my husband no matter what. Neal is not wanted for anything. Stop that slanderous story."

"But Mrs. Swan-Cassidy-"

"She said 'enough'."

Emma's eyes widened at the voice. What the hell was _August_ doing here?!

Although, she couldn't help but be a little grateful to him that he was there, recognizing that she was being pestered by Sidney.

"Who are you?" Sidney asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm a… friend of hers. From Portland, and I can tell you that what you printed about her husband is far from the truth," August said. "Neal has done everything for her. He wouldn't rob anything from anyone."

Sidney looked distraught, and Emma had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the look he gave them.

Saying nothing else, Sidney walked away, leaving Emma to deal with the madman August.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm a writer. I like coming to these little towns to get… inspiration for stories."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You think am an idiot?"

August shook his head. "Of course not Emma. Why would I think that?"

"Because you've been following me for almost a year. What's the real reason you came to Storybrooke?"

If she couldn't get close to what was really going on in this town, she would at least get answers from August.

August chuckled a little. "Will you keep your mind open if I tell you?"

Emma looked around, unsure what to do at this point. Should she really trust August, after everything he put them through? But maybe he would be able to answer some questions for her about why the town was so strange, and why the press seemed out to get Neal all of a sudden.

"August, I swear if you're kidnapping me-"

"I wouldn't. I swear. It's just… I'm dying, Emma, and you're the only one that can fix it."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a long story. I want to show you something. May I?"

Emma's curiosity was getting the better of her again, so she nodded, and August walked to his motorcycle, handing her the spare helmet. She held on tight to him as they drove out of town.

When they arrived near a small lobster restaurant, he led her into the woods.

"Where the hell are we going?" she asked, slowing down, not wanting to follow him any longer. Following a weird guy into the woods? Not a good idea.

August sighed. "I was that seven year old boy who found you. But I didn't find you on the side of the road."

Emma's eyes widened. "Then… where did you find me?"

"I found you inside of a tree."

She was starting to get back to her thoughts of August having escaped from a mental ward. "A tree. You expect me to believe that?"

"Just please, follow me."

Emma sighed, but didn't get the feeling that he was lying, and followed him into the woods. All the trees looked the same. How could he remember what tree it was, if this was really true?

"I found you here. This is where we both appeared," August said, resting his hand against one of the trees.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "'Appeared'? You make it sound like we're from a different planet."

"Not too far off…" August replied, sitting down on a rock. "I knew this wasn't going to be easy…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at this," August said, setting his foot on a rock in front of him, pulling up the leg of his jeans.

Wood.

His leg was made of wood.

Emma gasped, startled, and stepped back. August raised an eyebrow.

"Your mind is open then… more than I thought."

"What happened to you?" Emma asked, unable to take her eyes away from the wooden leg.

"Let's just say I've been a bad boy," he replied, groaning a little in pain, his knee now covered by the wood. "And I'm getting my punishment for it."

Emma shook her head. He was talking like this was magic, that he was like…

Pinocchio.

"I'm leaving," she said, startled at the possibility that August could possibly be a fairytale character from the book Mr. Gold had given her.

"Emma please. You have to break the curse," August said, standing up, his _wooden_ leg dragging behind him.

"What curse?!"

"The one in the book. The one that sent your mother and father here. The one that made them give up their only daughter into a hellish world where she would grow up alone."

"No. No. You're insane. Magic isn't real. My parents abandoned me like I was a piece of trash!"

"Emma-"

"No. Take me home August. I'm done listening."


	17. Turnover

_Four months later..._

Toys surrounded Emma as she moved around David's room cleaning up. The house they'd decided on already had a blue room, so they had quickly decided that would be David's nursery. David lay in the crib – one of the first things they'd gotten set up when they'd moved out of Granny's. They'd gotten lucky with the house having just what they needed – bigger than the apartment in Tallahassee, though smaller than what Emma had originally wanted in her first house. Even so, she wasn't

She had no idea why, but she was reciting the Snow White story from the book Mr. Gold had given them, even though she hadn't touched the book in… probably a few months.

David was now nearly five months old, and curious about the entire world around him. Emma knew that maybe the story would be better with pictures from the book, but for now, this was the best she could do.

The book was still giving her the creeps, and she didn't want to touch it.

"Emma?" she heard behind her. Turning around, she spotted Neal.

She smiled as he went to the crib and lifted David from his crib, to a giggle from their son. "Hey Neal. How was work?"

"I haven't heard you tell that story to him in a while…" he said, smiling.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know what came over me," she said. "I guess I just wanted to tell him something different…"

"Why don't you finish the book?" Neal asked. "You were so excited about it when you first got it. What happened?"

Emma shrugged. "I-I don't know. It's just weird. I get that the stories are different… I know that the Grimm brothers version is different than the Disney version but this… I don't know what it is… just makes me feel like something… might be real about it."

She hadn't told him about that meeting with August.

"Why don't we read it together?" he offered. "If you get too uncomfortable, then we can stop and we'll give the book to Ashley."

Emma looked up at him, nodding. "A-alright. That could work."

She saw Neal smile as he grabbed the book off the bookshelf in David's room. Emma took a seat on the floor, and Neal joined her, opening the book to one of the last pages – where Snow White and Prince Charming were speaking with Rumpelstiltskin about some curse. They were making a deal with him.

Emma took David into her arms as Neal read the book, holding it so he could see the words and so David could see the pictures.

David was enamored with it from the first picture he saw, pointing at it eagerly, babbling excitedly. Emma couldn't help but smile, bouncing him a little.

"'And then Snow White turned, a hand on her swollen stomach'," Neal read out loud. "'Emma…' she whispered softly, her eyes full of pain. 'Her name is Emma.'"

Emma's stomach clenched, swallowing tight as she looked at the book. "My name…" she whispered. "Funny isn't it?"

Neal nodded. "Yeah. Really funny how things like that work. Are you okay to go on or…?"

Emma let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah. Keep going… I want to finish it now."

So Neal continued.

Snow White went into labor early, before the wardrobe was completed, and when the little girl, Emma, was born, she was wrapped in a blanket.

Emma blanched.

"Oh my God," she said, shaking.

"Emma?"

That was her blanket. The one she'd been found in on the side of the freeway. Oh God… was this her? Was that real?

"Neal… the-the blanket that Emma's wrapped in… it looks like mine!" Emma said, shaking a little. "It-it _is_ mine!"

She saw Neal's jaw tighten – a sign that he was debating telling her the truth or not.

"Tell me!" she said, her voice climbing to a hysterical pitch. "Am I this so-called savior? Was August telling the truth?!"

He finally sighed. "Yes."

How? How could this be possible?

"Neal… tell me everything. You know something – I can tell," she said, shaking. David looked up at her and pouted, as if he could tell something was wrong, and Neal took him from her arms. "Please Neal!"

Her husband closed his eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Is Mary-Margaret my mother?"

Neal nodded. "Yes."

"How long have you known about this?" she asked.

"Which part?"

"The entire thing."

"Since… since August found us in Portland. He had this box that showed me that he knew who I was too."

Emma groaned. "What do you mean who _you were?_ Are you a fairytale character too?"

Neal smiled a little. "Ever read Peter Pan?"

"I'm married to Peter Pan?"

He shook his head. "A Lost Boy… er, former Lost Boy. I'm one of the twins."

This was insane. "I need some air," she muttered, standing up. How could any of this be possible. It was just… too weird for her to think about. Her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, her husband was one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys, and she had to break a curse?

No, no, this had to be impossible.

Neal didn't follow her as she made her way downstairs. Good. He understood that she wasn't comfortable with any of this.

She pulled on her coat, opening the door, where she saw Regina standing there.

"Mayor Mills," she said, forcing a smile on her face. "What brings you here?"

Regina smiled back. "Good afternoon Mrs. Swan-Cassidy. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"I- oh no! Not at all! I was just getting ready to go on a walk."

_She's the Evil Queen who cast the curse._

Emma forced the thoughts from her head as Regina spoke.

"Well you see, I was doing some baking for the Miner's Day celebrations and I realized that I made far too many of my famous apple turnovers, so I decided to bring you one, as a way of celebrating your first Miner's Day here in Storybrooke."

Emma's smile turned genuine as she looked at the container in Regina's hand. "That's very kind of you Mayor Mills, thank you."

Regina smiled and nodded, before leaving the porch. Emma closed the door behind her, and looked down at the container.

"Neal, can you come here?" she called upstairs where Neal had remained. It was nice of him to respect that she wanted to be left alone, but now she wasn't so sure.

She heard his heavy footfalls as he made his way downstairs. She smiled a little. "Mayor Mills came by to drop off an apple turnover."

Neal's face twisted into something of distrust. "Did she now?"

Emma nodded. "I'm still going to go for a walk though. I just wanted to let you know that it's here if you get hungry."

He smiled, but Emma could tell it was forced. "Thanks Emma. Have a good walk."

Emma gave him a curious look, but kissed his cheek before heading out the door.

She'd barely made it to the edge of town near Mr. Gold's shop when her phone rang.

"Mary-Margaret," she said in greeting, a smile on her face. "How are you?"

_"Emma, you need to come quick! I wanted to stop by and see if you wanted to take David out to the Miner's Day festival tonight, and I heard him crying so I… I walked in. Neal was on the ground unconscious. I called 911... they took him in. I-I decided to stay with David so I don't know how he is..."_

Gasping, she didn't even notice an arm around her waist, holding her up as her legs went weak, and muttered something about being there as soon as she could before hanging up.

It was only then that she noticed someone holding her.

"Mr.… Mr. Gold," she said. "Neal's in the hospital, I-I have to get there."

Gold's face was hard to read, but he nodded. "I'll drive you dearie. You're in no position to walk like this."

Emma nodded shakily as Mr. Gold helped her into the car, her gaze on her knees as he began driving toward the hospital.


	18. If You Just Believe

Rumpelstiltskin looked at the shaking blonde woman in the seat next to him. He had a feeling nothing was really wrong with Neal at all, after the conversation he'd had with Regina that morning. He just hoped Emma wouldn't be too distraught and would be able to kiss Neal.

_True Love's Kiss will break any curse._

All Emma had to do was kiss him, and this blasted curse would be broken.

"Emma," he said as they pulled out, the woman fumbling with the door as she tried to get out. He stepped out too, going to her as quick as he could to help her inside. "Listen to me."

She looked at him, her eyes fearful and wide, the color so much like Charming's.

"Neal will pull through," he told her as the nurse told them where to go. "I promise you."

Emma nodded. "I-I hope so."

"Does David have someone with him?" he asked, trying to get her to focus on anything other than the walls ahead of her.

"M-M-Mary-Margaret is w-with him. S-she's the one who found N-Neal."

Rumpelstiltskin let out a breath. "Good."

"NEAL!" Emma shrieked as they arrived in the emergency ward, the woman darting over to the bed.

Whale was standing by him, frowning as he studied the charts. Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow, staying back in the room. It was time for Emma to be with Neal. He simply drove her here.

"What happened, nurse?" he asked, looking at a woman next to him.

She shrugged. "We're not really sure. All Miss Blanchard told the paramedics was that she saw him holding some sort of food in his hand. We think that's what happened but…"

"But?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's not showing any signs of poisoning. It's almost like…"

"Like magic."

Rumpelstiltskin looked over at Emma, who was staring, eyes wide, down at Neal in the bed. He took a deep breath as she leaned down just as he started flat lining, struggling in the grips of Whale as he tried to pull her away from Neal, before she managed to press her lips against his.

A burst of… something erupted from them, flying out of the room and spreading throughout town.

She broke the curse.

Neal gasped and opened his eyes as Rumpelstiltskin snuck out of the room. He had work to do.

* * *

She didn't know why she did it. Why she thought it… but something had happened. Neal was awake. He had survived. Whatever had happened, he was okay now, and that's all she needed to worry about.

"Emma, you did it…" he murmured, smiling a little. "I love you."

"W-what did I do?" she asked, looking around the room, everyone looking bewildered and confused, like they had been hit with something.

"The curse…" he replied. "You remember. You broke it Emma," he said with a smile. "I-I had to prove it to you. I'm sorry."

He sat up, swinging his legs over the bed, and looked at her. "That turnover had a sleeping curse in it, and you broke it. Like your mother broke your father's."

It was all real. She knew it was. She somehow still didn't want to believe it fully, but she did. She was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

She looked around again. That must have been why everyone looked confused. Their real memories were back.

"So if… if I broke the curse… why didn't they go back?" she asked.

Neal shrugged, getting out of bed. "I don't know."

* * *

Mary-Margaret Blanchard held David Swan-Cassidy close as the boy slowly calmed down in her grasp. He had seen Neal fall over when he had fainted from… whatever it was that caused it. She hoped the doctors would be able to help him – it hadn't looked good when the paramedics arrived.

"Oh David," she whispered, longing for a child of her own, "it'll be okay. Daddy will be okay… and Mommy's with him, I know she is."

David whimpered again, his tiny fist grabbing her sweater tight. Mary-Margaret's heart ached for the boy, worried about Neal herself. She hoped everything would be okay.

Suddenly, she felt something slam into her and she gasped, something flooding her head.

_Memories._

She was Snow White. The Snow White from Emma's book.

Emma.

Oh Gods! That meant Emma was her daughter and David…

"My grandson," she whispered. "You're my grandson."

David looked up at her, wide eyed (Emma's eyes) as she hurried out of the house, holding him close, looking for her husband.

"SNOW!"

Spinning around, she felt tears in her eyes as she saw him there. Of course, she'd seen him every day for years while they were trapped under the curse, but now they remembered who they were.

"Charming!" she cried, hurrying over to him, David clutched in her arms. He embraced her, and she sniffled into his chest, tears of both sadness and joy racing down her cheeks.

"My beautiful Snow… she did it," he whispered. "She broke your curse."

"M-my curse?" she asked, looking up at him. "What do you mean? We were all under it…"

But Charming shook his head. "I wasn't. Not really. When I was going to meet up with you at the Tro… Toll Bridge, Regina led me astray to Rumpelstiltskin's shop… and I-I saw Emma's mobile. It triggered my memories."

Snow could only stare at her husband. "Oh Gods…" she whispered. "Emma. She's at the hospital."

Charming paled a little, his hand finding its way to her back as they ran down the street to the hospital. "What happened?" he asked.

"Neal. He ate something and fainted…" Snow explained.

Charming stared when she told him, slowing down. "You don't think…"

Snow gasped. "Oh my… let's hurry."

They hurried inside, bursting into the emergency room, no one stopping them as they reached Emma. Their _daughter_. She was their _daughter_.

"Emma…" she breathed.

Emma jumped, turning around at her voice. Her eyes flickered to David in her arms, before she slowly moved them to face her. Snow knew that she would look at them different now, but she was willing to accept that if it meant that they could be a family.

She felt Neal take David from her arms, as she drew Emma's face into her hands, just gazing at the daughter she had missed growing up. A sob escaped from her as she hugged Emma tight, Charming joining in as she felt a smile grow on her face.

"You found us…"

Shaking hands made their way around her back as Emma returned the hug, tears streaking down her daughter's cheeks.

"Our savior… our beautiful daughter," Charming whispered, close to Emma's ear. Emma sobbed harder.

"I-I-I thought you hated me. I-I thought you just abandoned me on the side of the road… but you-you didn't. You loved me. You just wanted me to be safe…" Emma mumbled.

Snow held her tighter. "We didn't want to… please understand that Emma."

She saw Emma nod just a little bit. "I-I-I know. But it still hurts thinking that you… left me."

"We didn't have a choice. The tree we sent you through could only hold one… it had to be you."

Emma frowned, looking at the two of them with a weird look. "But… but Pinocchio came with me."

Snow felt something twist in her gut. "What?"

Emma nodded. "Y-yeah…"

She exchanged an alarmed look with her husband. "Emma that… that can't be. Mothe- I mean, The Blue Fairy told us only one could go through."

Emma looked at the two of them. "So she lied to you. Gepetto was able to put Pinocchio in before you were able to get me down there."

Snow felt her knees go weak, and Charming and Emma held her up.

She could have gone with her daughter. They had been lied to – betrayed by both Gepetto and The Blue Fairy.

"What do we do now?" she whispered.

Charming's strong hand wrapped around her waist, carefully seating her on the bed. "For now… we relax… and get to know our daughter better."


	19. Now What?

"Rumpelstiltskin..."

Voices didn't make him tense often, but this one, one he hadn't heard in many years, thinking it was _dead,_ had the man freezing in shock.

He turned slowly – Jefferson was standing there with… Belle.

"Belle…" he whispered. "You're alive."

She nodded, hurrying into his arms. "I remember… I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, his arms tight around her, before he looked up at the Mad Hatter. "How, Jefferson? How did you know she was alive?"

Jefferson shrugged. "Let's just say… I had my ways."

Rumpelstiltskin didn't want to know, so he turned to Belle. "H-how? What happened to you Belle?"

"Regina," she said. "She captured me when I was trying to get back to your castle. She locked me away, and when the curse hit… I was in the asylum."

Fury boiled through his veins as her words sunk in with him. Regina had lied to him… and while that in itself wasn't a huge surprise, she had lied about his beloved Belle, had kept her trapped first in a tower, and then in an asylum. For twenty-eight years, Belle had been trapped.

"Rumpel," she said, taking his hand as they began walking out of the hospital. "Don't."

"Don't what, dearie?" he asked, ignoring the frightened and bewildered looks of the townspeople.

"Get revenge on her. I'm here now. I'm safe," she said as he helped her into the car. "Please."

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing, closing the door and getting inside himself, putting his cane next to her. "Of course not Belle."

"So you won't try to kill her?"

"No."

_Yes._

"Good," she murmured as they pulled up to the shop.

Rumpelstiltskin led her inside. "I'm going to do something really quick Belle," he said. "But before I do, I believe I have something in the back that might fit you. I'm sure you're tired of being in those clothes."

Belle chuckled and nodded, following him into the back room. Somehow, he had acquired a number of women's clothing – probably because of his fake identity as a pawnbroker.

"Pick what you would like," he said, going to another cabinet and pulling out Charming's sword. He knew it would be difficult to get Mrs. Swan-Cassidy to go down there and retrieve the True Love potion for him, but perhaps… he could get her father to do so.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Emma asked, looking around nervously as they sat in Granny's diner. She still wasn't sure how to react to the fact that had, not only found her parents, but also discovered that fairytales were real, and that she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

Right. This wasn't how her life was supposed to go. She was supposed to find her parents eventually, but not like this. They were supposed to be… well, normal people, who for some reason or another, gave up their daughter.

Not Snow White and Prince Charming who gave up their daughter to break a curse that the Wicked Step-mother cast in order to get revenge.

"Whatever you like," David –her father- said with a small smile.

Emma looked at Neal, then at her son, who was currently in Snow's arms. Her mother was gazing at the boy, as she had been doing since she arrived at the hospital.

Suddenly Dr. Hopper, er… Jiminy Cricket, ran into the diner, looking terrified.

"Thank goodness I found you. Dr. Whale's whipped everyone into a frenzy. They want to kill Regina."

Emma gasped, staring at the man. Oh God, what would they do now? Of course, she wanted to see Regina pay for what she'd done to them, but did she… really deserve to die? Emma didn't know. She was confused.

Mary-Snowgret's head turned, staring wide-eyed at Jiminy.

"We have to stop them," her mother said. "I know Regina has done some awful things, but we need information from her first."

Her father and Neal nodded.

The four of them stood quickly, Emma looking worriedly at her son – she didn't want to expose him to something like this. Neal hung back as her parents ran from the diner, giving her a worried look.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I want to go with them," she replied. "But David… he's only a baby."

"I'll take him," Jiminy said. "I'll keep him safe. I've tried to calm the crowd – they won't listen to me. Maybe they'll listen to you. You're the savior after all."

Emma nodded, carefully handing David's carrier to Jiminy before she and Neal ran off.

They arrived at Regina's house, where the mob was pushing tighter against the porch. Emma could see her father holding tight to Whale, trying to hold him back from completely killing Regina.

"Killing Regina will not solve anything!" she heard her mother shout. "We still need answers from her. She needs to be locked up, for her safety, and more importantly, for ours."

Emma and Neal pushed through the crowd, and Emma stared as most of the people in it bowed as she passed. What the…?

"You're the Savior Emma," Neal murmured, obviously catching on to her confusion. "They're bowing because you saved them."

"But… why bow?"

Neal shrugged. "It's what they know. Even after living here. It's what they do when it comes to you and your parents. You're a princess, and the savior."

This was too weird. These were people she knew, well, most of them, and suddenly they were bowing to _her?_

"Graham," Snow said. "Can you take her away?"

If looks could kill, her mother would have been dead with what the look Regina gave her.

Graham nodded, though he somehow looked confused and heart at the thought of having to put her away. He did though, and held her tight, taking her through the crowd and putting her in the police car.

Snow followed, shaking her head in disappointment. David stayed with she and Neal, looking out at the crowd.

"Citizens of Storybrooke…" he began carefully, almost hesitantly. "Until we figure out how to get home, I recommend you find your family members, and friends, and try to fix your lives. Snow and I… and any other leader from other realms that may have been affected – "

Oh great, there was more than just a world filled with fairytale characters?

Neal's hand was on her shoulder, suddenly steering her somewhere.

The police station, it turned out.

* * *

"So I'm a prisoner now?" Regina snarled, glaring at Graham. How dare he turn his back on her like that? After she kept him alive when he had betrayed her by not bringing her Snow White's heart?

But he nodded, even though she knew he couldn't feel any true emotions. "It's been a long time coming, Regina. This is finally our happy ending."

Regina laughed, the sound cold. "How are you going to accomplish that? You don't know where your heart is. You will _never_ get it back."

She wouldn't stand for it. They couldn't get their happy endings back – it wasn't fair. For years she had worked to perfect this, she had to sacrifice her own father to cast it! Why wasn't she able to have her happy ending?

Snow was quiet, and Regina smirked wildly. "I bet you regret stopping my execution now."

Of course, at that moment, Charming, Neal, and _'The Savior'_ entered the station. Charming looked furious.

"The curse is broken, why didn't we go back?" Charming asked, walking up to the bars.

Regina hated his attitude.

She smirked again. "That land is gone. There is nothing to go back to."

 _That_ seemed to get a reaction out of those idiots. She knew it was wrong – the Enchanted Forest did exist still, but she did not want them to find the way back. There was no way she would go back there.

Snow looked heartbroken at the thought, the same look on her face as when she had discovered Charming near death.

They left, and Regina was alone again.


	20. Hearts & Eggs

"Rumpelstiltskin..."

Voices didn't make him tense often, but this one, one he hadn't heard in many years, thinking it was _dead,_ had the man freezing in shock.

He turned slowly – Jefferson was standing there with… Belle.

"Belle…" he whispered. "You're alive."

She nodded, hurrying into his arms. "I remember… I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, his arms tight around her, before he looked up at the Mad Hatter. "How, Jefferson? How did you know she was alive?"

Jefferson shrugged. "Let's just say… I had my ways."

Rumpelstiltskin didn't want to know, so he turned to Belle. "H-how? What happened to you Belle?"

"Regina," she said. "She captured me when I was trying to get back to your castle. She locked me away, and when the curse hit… I was in the asylum."

Fury boiled through his veins as her words sunk in with him. Regina had lied to him… and while that in itself wasn't a huge surprise, she had lied about his beloved Belle, had kept her trapped first in a tower, and then in an asylum. For twenty-eight years, Belle had been trapped.

"Rumpel," she said, taking his hand as they began walking out of the hospital. "Don't."

"Don't what, dearie?" he asked, ignoring the frightened and bewildered looks of the townspeople.

"Get revenge on her. I'm here now. I'm safe," she said as he helped her into the car. "Please."

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing, closing the door and getting inside himself, putting his cane next to her. "Of course not Belle."

"So you won't try to kill her?"

"No."

_Yes._

"Good," she murmured as they pulled up to the shop.

Rumpelstiltskin led her inside. "I'm going to do something really quick Belle," he said. "But before I do, I believe I have something in the back that might fit you. I'm sure you're tired of being in those clothes."

Belle chuckled and nodded, following him into the back room. Somehow, he had acquired a number of women's clothing – probably because of his fake identity as a pawnbroker.

"Pick what you would like," he said, going to another cabinet and pulling out Charming's sword. He knew it would be difficult to get Mrs. Swan-Cassidy to go down there and retrieve the True Love potion for him, but perhaps… he could get her father to do so.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Emma asked, looking around nervously as they sat in Granny's diner. She still wasn't sure how to react to the fact that had, not only found her parents, but also discovered that fairytales were real, and that she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

Right. This wasn't how her life was supposed to go. She was supposed to find her parents eventually, but not like this. They were supposed to be… well, normal people, who for some reason or another, gave up their daughter.

Not Snow White and Prince Charming who gave up their daughter to break a curse that the Wicked Step-mother cast in order to get revenge.

"Whatever you like," David –her father- said with a small smile.

Emma looked at Neal, then at her son, who was currently in Snow's arms. Her mother was gazing at the boy, as she had been doing since she arrived at the hospital.

Suddenly Dr. Hopper, er… Jiminy Cricket, ran into the diner, looking terrified.

"Thank goodness I found you. Dr. Whale's whipped everyone into a frenzy. They want to kill Regina."

Emma gasped, staring at the man. Oh God, what would they do now? Of course, she wanted to see Regina pay for what she'd done to them, but did she… really deserve to die? Emma didn't know. She was confused.

Mary-Snowgret's head turned, staring wide-eyed at Jiminy.

"We have to stop them," her mother said. "I know Regina has done some awful things, but we need information from her first."

Her father and Neal nodded.

The four of them stood quickly, Emma looking worriedly at her son – she didn't want to expose him to something like this. Neal hung back as her parents ran from the diner, giving her a worried look.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I want to go with them," she replied. "But David… he's only a baby."

"I'll take him," Jiminy said. "I'll keep him safe. I've tried to calm the crowd – they won't listen to me. Maybe they'll listen to you. You're the savior after all."

Emma nodded, carefully handing David's carrier to Jiminy before she and Neal ran off.

They arrived at Regina's house, where the mob was pushing tighter against the porch. Emma could see her father holding tight to Whale, trying to hold him back from completely killing Regina.

"Killing Regina will not solve anything!" she heard her mother shout. "We still need answers from her. She needs to be locked up, for her safety, and more importantly, for ours."

Emma and Neal pushed through the crowd, and Emma stared as most of the people in it bowed as she passed. What the…?

"You're the Savior Emma," Neal murmured, obviously catching on to her confusion. "They're bowing because you saved them."

"But… why bow?"

Neal shrugged. "It's what they know. Even after living here. It's what they do when it comes to you and your parents. You're a princess, and the savior."

This was too weird. These were people she knew, well, most of them, and suddenly they were bowing to _her?_

"Graham," Snow said. "Can you take her away?"

If looks could kill, her mother would have been dead with what the look Regina gave her.

Graham nodded, though he somehow looked confused and heart at the thought of having to put her away. He did though, and held her tight, taking her through the crowd and putting her in the police car.

Snow followed, shaking her head in disappointment. David stayed with she and Neal, looking out at the crowd.

"Citizens of Storybrooke…" he began carefully, almost hesitantly. "Until we figure out how to get home, I recommend you find your family members, and friends, and try to fix your lives. Snow and I… and any other leader from other realms that may have been affected – "

Oh great, there was more than just a world filled with fairytale characters?

Neal's hand was on her shoulder, suddenly steering her somewhere.

The police station, it turned out.

* * *

"So I'm a prisoner now?" Regina snarled, glaring at Graham. How dare he turn his back on her like that? After she kept him alive when he had betrayed her by not bringing her Snow White's heart?

But he nodded, even though she knew he couldn't feel any true emotions. "It's been a long time coming, Regina. This is finally our happy ending."

Regina laughed, the sound cold. "How are you going to accomplish that? You don't know where your heart is. You will _never_ get it back."

She wouldn't stand for it. They couldn't get their happy endings back – it wasn't fair. For years she had worked to perfect this, she had to sacrifice her own father to cast it! Why wasn't she able to have her happy ending?

Snow was quiet, and Regina smirked wildly. "I bet you regret stopping my execution now."

Of course, at that moment, Charming, Neal, and _'The Savior'_ entered the station. Charming looked furious.

"The curse is broken, why didn't we go back?" Charming asked, walking up to the bars.

Regina hated his attitude.

She smirked again. "That land is gone. There is nothing to go back to."

 _That_ seemed to get a reaction out of those idiots. She knew it was wrong – the Enchanted Forest did exist still, but she did not want them to find the way back. There was no way she would go back there.

Snow looked heartbroken at the thought, the same look on her face as when she had discovered Charming near death.

They left, and Regina was alone again.


	21. Coming to Terms

Snow looked at the Huntsman. "Now where do we go?"

The Huntsman returned her look of concern. It wasn't like Regina could hurt them, so that wasn't an issue. What was a concern was the fact that they were running around town, the Huntsman holding a magical heart in his hand. She shivered looking at it. It was so wrong – this whole situation was so wrong.

"We could go to Granny's," he replied.

"With a heart in your hand?" Snow raised an eyebrow at him. "That won't end well." But even so, she needed to find her friend, and Granny's was a central location in Storybrooke to find someone. Even so, how crazy would Granny's be with people trying to find recently re-discovered loved ones?

The Huntsman frowned. "We could go back to you- I mean, Mary-Margaret's place."

Biting her lip, Snow slowly nodded. "Okay, yeah, we can go there."

They hurried off, Snow locking the door behind them, just in case.

"So… how do we get it back in me?" the Huntsman asked.

Snow looked at the heart. "I don't know," she said. "I've only ever seen them being taken out. I'm not even sure if it's… possible." She hated being the person to deliver bad news, but she really didn't want to get his hopes up.

He sighed and looked down at the heart as well. "I hope there's away. Maybe we can ask the Blue Fairy."

She nodded again. "Yeah… she'll probably know."

The knock on the door had them both jumping out of their skin. Snow raced to it, praying it was Charming with Emma.

It wasn't – but seeing Red and Granny there wasn't a bad thing either. Tears were streaming down Red's face as Snow gave her a deep embrace, crying herself.

"You're okay!" Red breathed, letting go of the hug and looking at her. "Oh Snow thank the gods you're okay!"

"And you as well Red," Snow replied.

Red smiled, shrugging off the fur… thing she had around her shoulders. "I don't approve of what my other self wore."

Granny chuckled a little and hugged Snow tight. "Where is Charming?"

"He… he is with Emma. He had to do something. Hopefully they'll be back soon," Snow said. "Sit down while we wait…"

Red and Granny sat down, and Snow noticed that the Huntsman wasn't able to keep his eyes off Red. Hm, that was curious.

"What's in the bowl?" Granny asked, leaning closer, before recoiling in horror. "Oh Gods!"

Snow nodded. "We managed to find his heart… it was in Regina's vault. We need to figure out a way to get it back into his chest…"

Red and Granny shivered as they heard the door open once again, revealing her family. Snow jumped up, running to them and giving them all tight hugs – even Neal, the son-in-law she didn't expect to have when she made the decision to put Emma through the wardrobe.

"Thank the Gods you're all alright!" Red cried, standing, but not stepping forward. Snow could tell she wanted to give them privacy.

They even looked okay. They didn't look hurt at all. Oh thank whatever God existed in this world they were okay.

"I was so worried," she mumbled against Charming's chest. "I thought he sent you to die.."

"We would've if he hadn't known how to make her want to work with us," Emma said, taking a seat with Neal and David on the small couch Mary-Margaret owned.

"Her?" Granny asked.

"Maleficent…"

Snow stared. "I thought they were allies…"

Emma let out a slight laugh. "Well if they were, I don't think Maleficent appreciates her much anymore."

"She was trapped under the clock tower, in a different form," Charming said. "I doubt very much she liked it."

Snow shuddered. "There's a reason they called it a curse I suppose."

She saw Emma noticeably flinch as David tugged hard on her hair, and wondered if that was the only reason for it.

"Emma," she said, going to her and squeezing her hand. "Are you sure you're okay?" If something was wrong with her daughter, she wanted to fix it – she had eighteen years of wanting to protect her daughter to catch up on after all.

Emma nodded. "I-I just… this is so much to try and take in… first I think Neal's dead, and then he's not, and then I break a curse I thought was fake, then I find my parents and they're Snow White and Prince Charming, and then I fight a dragon, who turns out to be Maleficent from _Sleeping Beauty_ with my Prince Charming father… I just need some time to get used to everything."

Oh, right. As far as Emma had known, they were only characters – not actual people, and certainly not her parents.

"If you need anything you can come to us…" Charming told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Emma nodded a little. "I know… it's just going to take a while to get used to you guys not being David Nolan and Mary-Margaret Blanchard… much less my parents. I mean, you guys are only ten years older than me thanks to the curse."

Mary-Margaret laughed. "Well, I suppose that's a little better than being the same age as you."

"I guess… I'm just… relieved to know that you're not as awful as I thought. I concocted so many scenarios in my head and this one… was not one of them."

"We can't blame you…" Charming said. "At all. But we're going to be here for you now."

Snow saw a small smile on Emma's face. "I know. And I'm glad for it."

* * *

"Rumpelstiltskin, wait. Where are we going?" Belle asked as she followed the man she loved through the woods in this strange town.

While he had given her a change of clothing at the shop that he supposedly ran (and really, the thought of Rumpelstiltskin running a pawn shop and giving up his things was laughable), he had been distant since he had returned with the gold egg.

"Keep up Belle," was all he said. "We're almost there, I promise."

Belle sighed as she tried to keep up with him. In this world, he had a limp and a cane. How could he move so fast?

Finally, they arrived at a well. Belle frowned a little, a feeling of dread spreading through her as he dropped the vial of purple liquid into the well. Smoke, purple like the stuff in the vial, floated out of the well.

"What is that?" she asked nervously, stepping away from it as if she could get away.

Rumpelstiltskin smirked a little, taking her hand and whispering.

"Magic…. is coming."

* * *

The young woman walked around the apartment, not really sure what to do with herself right now, before she turned to the window, looking outside at the townspeople trying to find their family members and friends from the Enchanted Forest, before her eyes widened in fear.

"Um.. Mary? David?" she asked.

"Emma?"

"What's that?" She pointed toward the window, the purple smoke racing through the town toward them.

Both of her parents gasped in horror and pulled her back to the couch, and she felt her mother's arms tighten around her as David hurried to her other side, shielding Neal and her son David from whatever it was that was coming toward them, fear seeping into her as she felt the smoke hit…


	22. Family

The fog faded, passing by without an issue. Emma looked up nervously, gazing around the room. "What the hell was that?" she asked, David squirming a little in her arms as everyone let go, looking around to make sure they were all okay.

Ruby though, seemed to shudder, and Emma didn't fail to notice that she seemed to be quite cozy with Graham – er, the Huntsman.

"Red?" her mother asked, standing up from the couch and going to her old friend. "What's wrong?"

"That fog… I think it was magic. I can feel the wolf now," the brunette replied, shaking.

Emma stared at her. "Magic? In this world?"

Red nodded.. "I don't know why someone would bring it here… why we couldn't just go home…"

"Red…" Snow said, getting up off the couch. "We will figure out a way to get home, I promise. I don't know how, but we will."

Emma sat quietly, bouncing a giggling David on her lap carefully. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go to that world. That world, as fantastic as it seemed, as amazing and wonderful as it appeared in the book… it wasn't what she knew. The magic was dangerous, as the whole 'curse' proved, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to expose David to something so dangerous. But… this world had been nothing but evil to her (until the past two years with Neal and finding her family), so maybe going there and getting a new start would be good. She could finally have the life that she was destined to have, rather than the one forced away from her by the woman currently sitting in the jail cell.

If they found a way back to that world, she had a lot to think about.

* * *

The purple smoke that had enveloped the town had stunned her at first, before she felt something tingling inside of her that she hadn't felt in years.

Magic.

Regina smirked as she sat up on the pathetic excuse of a bed in the prison (she supposed there was a reason for the name), throwing her legs off the side and standing up. Perfect. Now that she had magic back, she could get out of here and make the precious savior pay for breaking the curse – something that could have been avoided if she had just eaten that damn turnover she'd given her. Instead she had only provided the way to break it. A minor error, but Regina would soon right the error of her ways.

She moved to the door of the cell, sticking her arm between two of the bars, feeling magic humming inside her as her hand hovered above the lock, focusing on unlocking it.

But nothing happened.

_No._

It wasn't working. Why?

"Magic is different here… _dearie_."

A chill ran down her spine. Rumpelstiltskin walked into the room, giving her a cold look, and she wondered why. It wasn't like she'd done to anything (well, that he would know about).

"So I noticed. What do you want Rumpel?" she asked.

"You know, I was out for a stroll, watching everyone try to piece together their lives when I found someone you told me was _dead_."

She gulped. She had a feeling she knew what this was about. She had locked Belle away for a few years before she'd cast the curse, having somehow managed to convince Rumpelstiltskin that she was dead.

And now, somehow, it appeared Belle had managed to escape from the cell under the hospital.

The hand that had been trying to undo the lock was suddenly grabbed by the imp, and the woman grunted in shock, staring at the thing in his hand as something pressed into her palm. Oh no.

"Is that – "

Rumpelstiltskin smirked. "Indeed it is."

"You can't do this to me!"

"Oh… I think I already have," Rumpelstiltskin replied, letting go of her hand and dangling the medallion from his. "And I don't think anyone will complain."

The sick thing was, Regina knew he was right. No one would care – the scene outside her home with the mob was proof enough.

Except Snow. For some reason she seemed to want her alive. Probably to rub her happy ending in Regina's face.

Sighing, Regina sat back on the bed as Rumpelstiltskin left, that damn smirk plastered on his face.

* * *

"We could try to just shove it back in his chest," Ruby said, looking at the heart in the bowl, then over at the Sheriff, or, Huntsman.

Emma cringed a little at the thought. "How do we know it will work?" she asked. "I know magic's in this world, but how do we know that it's the same as it was back in your world?"

" _Our_ world, Emma," David corrected.

Emma wanted to argue with him, but David Henry tugged at her hair, distracting her. "No sweetheart, you don't tug Momma's hair."

David giggled and simply did it again, to a wince from Emma. She heard Neal laugh next to her.

"C'mon kiddo, stop it. It hurts Momma," he said, gently tugging the small fist away from her hair. David smiled and rested his head against her shoulder. Emma chuckled again and tapped his nose.

A grunt distracted her from her son, and when she looked up, she stared.

Ruby's hand was inside of Graham's chest, the heart, Emma assumed, in her hand, as the bowl was now empty. Ruby then removed her hand, without the heart, and the room then stared at Graham, who was gasping for breath, hands on his chest, before he smiled.

"You did it," he said, his accent thick with relief. "My heart. I can feel it beating again. I can actually _feel_ …"

The amount of relief that swept through the room was nearly suffocating.

Emma watched as Graham embraced Ruby with a wide smile. "You saved me. Thank you."

Ruby returned the smile, but then looked away nervously, which made Emma raise an eyebrow.

"It… it was no problem," she said, blushing and staring down at her feet.

Emma felt awkward as she watched her mother hug Ruby. These people had been friends for years, and yet, they were only ten years older than she was, yet she felt so close to Ruby too.

This whole thing was starting to make her head hurt.

Emma curled into Neal, who held her close and rubbed her back, and she felt his lips brush gently against her hair.

"We should go…" Granny said. "Let you all relax and get to know each other again. We'll try to calm the town down."

Snow nodded. "Okay Granny… thank you for stopping by and letting us know you and Red were safe."

"Of course."

Granny, Ruby, and Graham left the room, and Emma didn't notice the hesitant looks that Graham and Ruby were giving each other as the door closed behind them.

Now they were alone, and Emma felt like running to escape the awkward feeling.

"Emma…" her _mother_ said, taking a seat next to her again, on her other side. "If-if you want to talk… David and I want to hear what you'd been through before you came back to us."

Emma wasn't sure about this, and she looked away from Mary, or Snow, and looked at Neal, who gave her a shrug.

"I can't tell you what you want or don't want to do Emma," he told her, squeezing her hand. "I look at their faces and I can tell they really do care about you and what happened to you."

Emma bit her lip and nodded. She supposed if there was going to be a time to tell the people she loved and trusted, even before knowing they were her _parents_ , now was going to be the time. They were all together, everyone was safe… they had plenty of _wine_ (real world rules didn't matter right now, did they?) so…

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll tell you."

They moved to the small dining room table, but Neal and David Henry stayed at the couch. Emma looked at him, nervous, but he gave her a calm smile, telling her that everything would be okay.

"When I… arrived in this world, I guess Pinocchio and I were in a tree."

" _Pinocchio?!_ " her parents echoed, staring at her with wide eyes.

Emma frowned a little. "Yeah, Pinocchio. August. He came with me, remember?"

Her mother looked pale, and her father looked enraged. She was confused as to why they looked so horrified that Pinocchio had gone with her. Isn't that what they'd wanted?

"Why are you guys looking that way?" she asked.

"Emma…" her father said. "You weren't supposed to go with Pinocchio. We were told the tree could only hold one person… your mother was supposed to go but… you came so early that there was no _time_ to move her."

Emma stared, frozen at them. Her mother could have gone with her. She didn't _have_ to be alone in this world, but Gepetto had made it so by sending Pinocchio with her.

Tears that surprised her sprang to her eyes and sliding down her cheeks uncontrollably.


	23. Leading

She felt comforting arms wrap around her, her head instinctively resting against her mother's shoulder. How? How could Gepetto do this to them? To trust Pinocchio of all people with a newborn child? If her mother had been able to go with her, she never would have hated her parents so much. She would have been happy in this world. It wouldn't have taken her so long to break the curse…

"What do we do?" David asked. "Gepetto just wanted to protect his son but… you could have gone with her and helped her."

"I-I don't know…" Snow replied. "I understand why he did it but… Pinocchio abandoned Emma. Can we forgive him for abandoning our daughter and lying to us?"

"He was just a child himself. He wasn't prepared for something like that," Charming sighed. "So Gepetto should have let you gone with Emma instead."

She had a headache just thinking about all of this. "But right now… shouldn't we just be grateful that… we're all together? With you all remembering everything… we all need time to adjust to being together again. The town will need leaders, and since we've locked up its mayor…"

"You two were King and Queen of one of the realms in the Enchanted Forest, you guys need to take control of the town," Neal said from the couch. "Emma and I will help if we can."

How could they help in this situation? Okay, so the people had bowed when she had arrived outside Regina's house, but that was one thing. She couldn't control people or tell them what to do. She didn't know how.

"Okay," David said, standing up. "Emma? Are you… okay?"

Emma nodded shakily, glad that her parents now knew about this, and also glad that she didn't have to go into much more detail about her life before Neal and Storybrooke. As much as she felt she could trust Mary-Margaret, it just wasn't a comfortable story to tell.

The family stood up, making their way outside, where they saw a large group of people outside Granny's.

"Looks like that's where we should go," Mary-Margaret said. "Come on…"

They moved down the street, going up to Granny, who seemed to be overwhelmed with everything that was going on.

"Granny, what can we do to help?" David asked.

"Just try to calm people down. They're scared. I think some of them are trying to leave town, and I have no idea what will happen if we do," Granny said.

Emma stared. If they tried to leave town, God only knew what would happen. What would happen if they were able to leave? No one could survive in this world. They didn't have any actual ID's, degrees, or anything that would be able to help them survive.

"Okay… Neal, why don't we go to the border and see what's going on?" David said. Neal nodded and followed him, getting into the Bug and taking off down the street.

Ruby hurried up to them. "Snow, thank the gods you're here!" she gasped. "I really need your help. We need to gather everyone in the town hall so we can figure out what's going on and how we can… maybe get home."

Snow nodded, looking at the megaphone dangling from Ruby's hand. "Do you have an extra megaphone?"

"The Huntsman has another one in his car," she replied. "I'll go get it. Emma, why don't you meet us inside the town hall? It might not be a good idea to keep David out here with everyone running around in a panic. You can try to get everyone that's already inside to calm down."

How could she do that? But she didn't want to look weak, so she nodded and started for the Town Hall, shouting out to anyone that she'd passed to head there. For some reason, they listened to her as she led the way into the hall, the others that were in there parting to let her through with David's stroller, and she went up to the stage where the city council sat at the meetings.

"Emma, what's the plan?" someone called out. Emma froze as she sat in an abandoned chair next to the stroller and looked out at the crowd.

"Um…" she said, and the room went silent. "First… we just need everyone to calm down. We're going to bring the entire town in here, and then my… my parents will try to figure out what to do. If you want to go back to the Enchanted Forest, raise your hand so I can get a good idea of what you guys want." This was what it meant to be a leader, right? To listen to your people?

Every hand in the room shot up.

Emma couldn't say she blamed them. It was their home after all. She just wasn't sure what she would do right now.

"Okay…" she said. "Now I just want everyone to sit tight while Mary and Ruby gather everyone, and David and Neal stop everyone else from trying to get out of town."

The townies seemed to be okay with that, and the chatter, instead of taking on tones of terror and worry, was calm and normal. Emma sighed and slumped back in the chair, looking over at David, who bounced a little, looking around the room.

"Kid," she said, "I really hope that if we go back to that world, I don't have to deal with this amount of terror."

David looked up at her curiously, before giggling, which made Emma smile and giggle. "I guess I'm sounding ridiculous, aren't I?" She would deal with whatever she had to if she took over a throne.

* * *

"Everyone! Please stop this!" Charming shouted, standing on top of the Bug, the car stationed just in front of the town line, blocking everyone's ability to get out of the town. There weren't many people here, thank the gods, but it was enough to signal alarm bells in his head. "Why do you want to risk your newly-acquired memories?"

"Magic is back, Charming!" Sneezy shouted. "With Regina and Rumpelstiltskin around, we don't want to stay here!"

"But we can't survive in this world! Anything we have that's considered important for this world is _fake_! Jiminy doesn't really have a degree in psychology, Snow doesn't have a degree in teaching… hell our drivers licenses are fake too! Storybrooke doesn't exist in this world," Charming replied. "But we can try to succeed in this town for the time being. I know that we've all done things we regret while we were under the curse, and that's okay, but what isn't okay is throwing away our true lives!"

He had a feeling he was actually getting through to people, which was strange considering Snow was usually the talker and he was the fighter. He heard murmurs ripple through the small crowd that had gathered and looked down at Neal, who was smiling up at him.

"We are both," he said. "And we _will_ get home. Now please, let's go back to town and see what's going on. Go find your family and friends and hug them, reunite with them, but please, don't cross the town line!"

He didn't want to know what would happen if they did.

"Everyone please go to the Town Hall. There will be a meeting there about what we should do next, and an idea session to figure out a way back to the Enchanted Forest!" Neal shouted from the ground, cell phone against his ear.

With Neal's words, those that were willing to try to drive out of town got back in their cars, going back to Storybrooke.

Charming let out a relieved sigh and jumped off the car as Neal hung up his phone. "At least we stopped them," he muttered. "Were you talking to Emma?"

Neal nodded. "Yeah. She said Snow and Red are gathering everyone in town to meet up in the town hall for a meeting."

Charming opened the door to the Bug. "Let's go then. We can't be late."

Neal nodded, driving back into town as Charming looked out for anyone that might be hiding.

When they arrived, they made their way inside the crowded Town Hall, most people sitting on the floor instead of dragging out the chairs that were locked inside the storage closets. Snow, Emma, Red, Granny and The Huntsman were on the stage, and Neal and Charming joined them.

"Okay!" Red shouted into her megaphone. "If we can get everyone's attention that would be great!"

It took a few moments, but the room settled down, everyone looking up at the group on the stage.

"Has everyone found their family members?" Snow asked.

"No, I have not found my boy!" Gepetto shouted from the crowd.

Charming's fist clenched behind his back, not noticing the frown on Emma's face.

"Granny," she said, turning to the older woman. "That man, August… he was staying at the Bed and Breakfast right?"

Granny nodded. "But what does that have to do with – "

Everyone suddenly stared at Emma.

"Emma," Charming asked. "Is August Pinocchio?"

Emma nodded. "But he hasn't come out of the Bed and Breakfast… so where could he be?"

"Red and I will go look. Gepetto, come with us," Granny said, waving the older man to follow her.

"Is there anyone else who hasn't found their family members?" Snow shouted as the trio left the room.

The room was silent, and Charming looked at Snow. She returned it, a silent message passed between them.

_'Now what?'_

* * *

Baelfire yelled as he fell through the portal, finally going to the Land Without Magic. It was supposed to have been his only stop all those years ago in the Enchanted Forest, but for some reason, the fairies had stopped him from arriving there, sending him to Neverland instead, to lead a group of Lost Boys. While that had been fun for the… well, he didn't know how many years it had been, it was growing tiresome. Anna had been right, it was time to grow up. He was sure though, that Anna would be grown up by now, while he was simply a boy still.

He landed hard in a grassy area, staring at the large buildings that surrounded him. What in the world was this place?


	24. The Hatter

Baelfire stood, brushing off his clothing. "Thank you Tink," he muttered into the air. He didn't know if Tinker Bell would be able to see or hear him, but he wanted her to know that she would always have a special place in his heart. She had shown him that magic didn't have to be as evil as he'd thought it was in the Enchanted Forest.

"Peter?" a voice asked, and Baelfire stiffened. The voice was deeper, but held a familiar tone of mischief.

"You actually… left Neverland?"

Swallowing tight, Baelfire turned around to face Twin Two, he'd recognize the face anywhere, despite the added facial hair and signs of aging.

"Yes," he told him. "I left Neverland."

"What changed your mind?" he asked. "I never thought you'd leave."

Baelfire swallowed tight. "My father. He's here somewhere."

Twin Two stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown another leg. "Your father? But how?"

The fourteen year old shook his head. "I don't know. Tinker Bell told me. She said that most of the people were missing from the Enchanted Forest, ripped away by a curse."

One that Baelfire had a sinking feeling his father had a part in.

"And you think he's here somewhere?"

"Knowing my father? Yes, he is."

"I'll help you find him then… I need to find Neal anyway. Haven't been able to get a hold of him for a few years."

"Neal?"

"My brother of course," Twin Two replied, looking at Baelfire with another strange look. "We do have names other than Twin One and Twin Two you know."

Right. He supposed everyone did.

"So what's your name?" Baelfire asked.

"My name is Thomas…" the man said.

Baelfire looked around nervously. "My name isn't Peter… that was just a name I got for some reason when I got to Neverland…"

"You had a fake name too? What's your real name then?"

"My name is Baelfire."

* * *

"Okay.. does anyone know of anything we can use to try and get home?" Snow called out to the townspeople that were still gathered inside the hall. She knew Regina had told them that their land was gone, but she simply couldn't believe it. Their land couldn't be gone. It just couldn't. They had to try and get back, regardless of what happened.

"My Papa does… but I don't know where he is…" a small voice called out. Snow squinted, trying to see, and people stepped aside, a familiar head pushing her way through the crowd to the stage. Paige, one of her students, walked up to the stage. "If I can find my Papa, maybe he'll be able to help us get back."

"Who's your Papa?" Snow asked.

"His name is Jefferson… I don't know where he is though…" Paige replied, looking nervous and scared. "Will you help me find him Miss Blanchard?"

Snow was heartbroken by the little girl - she looked terrified that she couldn't find her father. "Oh sweetheart, of course we will."

"I know who he is…" Emma suddenly said. "He's in the book we got from Gold…"

"Really?" Snow asked, turning to her daughter. "Who is he in the book?"

She saw Emma visibly swallow, tense. "He-he's the Mad Hatter from _Alice in Wonderland_."

"Mad? No, my Papa's not mad!" Paige said. "He can't be…"

"Grace…" Emma said, going to the edge of the stage. Paige looked startled at the use of her non-Storybrooke name. "Your Papa went mad trying to find his way back to you. Wonderland was not kind to him… but he never stopped thinking about you, according to the book."

Paige's eyes were filled with tears, and Snow watched as Emma got off the stage to hug her. "Don't worry Grace… we'll find him. I promise you."

"Thanks…" Paige replied, and Emma led her from the room.

"Does anyone else know any other way we could get home? Any magic hat tricks or anything?" her husband asked, looking around

* * *

Emma took the young girl's hand as they left the Town Hall.

"The story didn't really tell me anything about what your father was like… so what did he like to do? Maybe Regina allowed him to have something that would remind him of his life in the Enchanted Forest," Emma said.

"Like what?" Grace asked.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know, but for example, my mother had the engagement ring my father gave to her…"

As they ran through the empty Storybrooke streets, Emma found herself freaked out at how quiet it was outside of the full Town Hall. She knew this was a small town, quieter than Tallahassee, but this was something else. At least she knew why it was so quiet.

"Emma! Look!" Grace said, pointing at a flipped over car. "Someone could be hurt!"

Emma gasped. "Grace, I want you to stay back for a minute," she said. "I'm going to make sure everyone is okay."

Grace nodded, sitting on the bus stop bench as Emma hurried over to the car. She could see a body – a man, it looked like, inside it. Crouching down by the driver's seat, she yanked the door open. Thankfully, the man immediately looked up, completely conscious.

It was Jefferson.

"You're… you're Jefferson, aren't you?" Emma asked, helping him out of the car.

The man nodded. "Yes, I am… you're Emma, the savior. You broke the curse, and now we're all free. But why aren't we home?"

"We're trying to figure that out," Emma replied. "But first… I think there's something you need to do."

Jefferson furrowed his brow. "What's that?"

Emma looked down the street at Grace, waving her over. "Reunite with your daughter."

Grace raced toward him, her arms flung out, hugging him tight when she reached him. "PAPA!" she cried. "Oh Papa I missed you so much!"

"Grace," Jefferson mumbled. "I'm so sorry…"

"Papa… it's okay… as long as you're back… that's all I care about. You won't leave me again, right?" Grace asked.

"No Grace… never."

Jefferson then looked up at Emma. "What can I do to repay you for reuniting us?"

Emma bit her lip. "You're… the Mad Hatter, correct?"

The man let out a slightly-mad giggle, cementing his other-world persona quite true in Emma's eyes.

"Is that what this world calls me?" he asked. "I suppose it's fitting… but yes, I am a Hatter. I have a magical hat… but I don't know if it's working. Magic is… different in this world. Unnatural in this world. I don't know if it'll be able to work. But I will try. I promise."

Emma smiled. "Thank you Jefferson."

"Another problem I have is… I don't have the hat. I have lots of hats, but I don't have the same one that helped me jump from realm to realm… and that's an issue…" Jefferson said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Emma frowned a little. "Well… is there anyone who knew about your hat that could have gotten it when the curse hit?"

Jefferson thought for a moment, before his eyes widened. "Regina has it… I did her a favor and she took it…. Where is she anyway? I thought she would have been running around trying to get you killed."

Emma shrugged and gave him a slight smile. "Let's just say… Regina was taken care of early on."

Jefferson stared. "Dead?"

"No!" Emma replied. "No, she's not dead. She's in the jail cell in the police station."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go talk to her. If she's locked up, she can't do anything to us!" Jefferson said, slightly gleeful.

Too gleeful, in Emma's opinion.

Even so, she nodded, and the trio made their way to the police station, finding Regina laying on the bed, staring at her palm.

"Regina," Jefferson said, going straight to the bars. "Where is my hat?"

"I thought I told you I was done dealing with you," Regina replied, not looking over at them.

"Yeah well, you're in no position to ignore me are you?" Jefferson replied. "All I want to know is where you put my hat."

Regina turned her head, looking at the trio outside her cell. "It's at City Hall, where we left it."

Emma raised an eyebrow at the word 'we', but didn't have any time to think about it before Jefferson gasped again.

"You were marked?" he asked. "How?"

Regina sat up. "Yes, I was. Not that it's any business of yours… and as for how? How do you think?"

"Rumpelstiltskin."

Regina nodded.

Jefferson had a strange look on his face, and Emma wondered if he was slightly happy that something had happened to Regina. She didn't know what 'marked' meant, but it was obviously bad considering the slight look of fear on Regina's face.

"Come on. We got what we came for," Jefferson said, taking Grace's hand and leading them out of the police station.

Emma followed. "Jefferson, what's wrong with her? What does 'marked' mean?"

Jefferson paused, looking down at Grace, obviously torn in wanting to tell her, and not wanting to because Grace was there.

"She was… marked by this amulet… it will summon a creature called a Wraith… if someone is marked, the Wraith will suck out their souls."

Emma stared. "How do we stop it?"

Jefferson looked grim. "We don't. Once someone is marked, there is no stopping the wraith from sucking out their soul. Even if you delay it… it'll only come back again, and again, and again, until it gets what it wants. So if there's anything else you or your parents want to ask her, I would do it before nightfall."


	25. Collecting

"What will happen if Regina gets her soul sucked out?" Emma asked.

Jefferson shrugged as they entered city hall. "She doesn't bother us anymore, and we can get home without her trying to kill us."

"My mother might be upset…"

"Then that's your mother's problem, but death is inevitable.. and don't tell me that Regina doesn't deserve to die after what she did to all of us – and perhaps more importantly, you."

Emma hesitated, before nodding, but she didn't say anything. Her mother would be very upset, or at least from what she could tell, that Regina was in trouble… but Jefferson was right too. Regina had done so many bad things to them – the curse just being the icing on the cake.

"Papa," Grace said, "where do you think your hat is?"

Jefferson sighed and looked around. "Perhaps her office… that seems to be the place she puts her important things. It's where she had it before."

There it was again.

"Before what, Jefferson?"

Jefferson didn't respond, and Emma frowned again as they made their way to Regina's office.

"Jefferson, please tell me."

The Hatter hesitated again, before finally turning to face her. He looked ashamed of something. "Regina promised me that she could write a new story for Grace and I if I…"

Emma raised an eyebrow, Grace now out of earshot looking around the office for the hat.

Jefferson sighed. "You're going to want to kill me if you get your magic to work. She agreed to write Grace and I a new story if I helped her get an apple from The Enchanted Forest…"

Emma paled. Oh God…

"Jefferson," she whispered. "Did you help her try to kill my husband?!"

The man seemed confused. "Kill your husband? Why would I help her try to kill your husband?"

"That apple you got for her was poisoned. It's the same apple she used to poison my-my mother. The Sleeping Curse."

Jefferson's mouth dropped open. "Oh… oh dear. I didn't know… if I had I never would have…"

Emma could sense that he was sincere, and so she put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "It's okay… you didn't know, and he's fine… we're all fine. Neal's alive, my mother's alive, and now you have your daughter back."

Jefferson nodded. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Find a way back to the Enchanted Forest. It would mean so much to my parents."

Jefferson frowned, opening a cabinet. "But not to you?"

"It's not… where I'm from. I mean, I was born there, but… I didn't live there for more than, I don't know, maybe twenty minutes? This world is all I know."

"What has this world done for you though? What sort of childhood did you have?"

Why is it that the people that were deemed insane were the ones that could sometimes make the most sense? She knew he was right – aside from Neal and David, this world hadn't really done anything good for her."

"I-I don't know," Emma said. "It'd be a lot to take in…"

Jefferson frowned. "But for someone like you… it shouldn't be too hard."

"Someone like me? What do you mean?"

"You're magic, Emma. The curse broke because of you. You didn't notice it, but the curse had been slowly breaking all around you simply because you were here."

Emma sighed. "I don't want to lose them, at all… and it's clear to me that they don't want to stay in this world… so why would I force them?"

"Papa! I found it!" Grace's voice suddenly said, cutting the tension of the conversation away with a blur of blonde, the girl holding the hat in her hand.

"Fantastic, Grace!" Jefferson replied. "Completely excellent!"

"Great… let's take it back to the Town Hall," Emma said, forcing a smile to her face. Jefferson's words were true, but Emma wanted so badly to be selfish. She wanted to be angry at them, to leave them in the Enchanted Forest since they left her in this one, but… she had her parents. She had the family that she'd been dreaming about all her life, and she also didn't want to let it go.

The trio made their way back to the town hall, Emma noticing that the town had cleared out. Weird. She thought everyone would've stayed considering Jefferson was the only one so far that could provide a ride back to where they all came from.

"Mary-Margaret, David… we found him," Emma said, breathless as she ran up to them. Mary-Margaret looked upset about something, and David looked mad.

Emma frowned in confusion, before realizing that someone was missing.

"Where's Neal?" she asked.

Her mother seemed distressed as she spoke. "Rumpelstiltskin came… he said he needed Neal's help with something. They left about ten minutes ago."

"So why do you look worried?" Emma asked.

Jefferson scoffed from behind her. "You really don't know how Rumpelstiltskin works, do you?"

Emma turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "What are you talking about?"

"If you make a deal with him, you have to follow through with it. This Neal person must've made a deal with him. Whatever he wants – he gets it. No matter if you're in the middle of something or not," Jefferson explained.

_When the time comes, I will collect on our deal._

Rumpelstiltskin's words echoed through her head.

"I need to find them," she said, before hurrying outside.

* * *

"What the hell do you want with me now?" Neal asked as he gazed at Rumpelstiltskin.

"Your help."

"Haven't we helped you enough? Emma's done what you prophesized her to do. She broke the curse, and now we need to work on getting all of us back to the Enchanted Forest."

The other man grinned, and Neal felt a shiver go down his back.

"Ah, that's right. She did indeed break the curse. Alas, that is not what I meant when I made that deal with her."

Neal glared. "We have a baby. We can't go running around because you told us to."

Rumpelstiltskin pulled something out – a cloak, Neal realized. "I want to find my son. You remember. Will you help me?"

Neal sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked around. "What if I go in Emma's place? She needs time with her – her parents. You know how it is, to lose your child. Imagine that, except now all of a sudden your child comes back with a wife and a child of his own. Please… have mercy and let me go in her place."

Rumpelstiltskin paused for a moment, before nodding. "Fine, Mr. Cassidy. You can come with me."

Neal let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Emma burst into the shop at that moment, looking terrified. "Neal! Thank God you're alright. Come on, we need to get back to the Town Hall."

"I'm afraid no one's going to the Town Hall just yet Miss Swan," Rumpelstiltskin replied.

"Why not?"

Neal could tell Emma was getting irritated with the man, so he stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Neal and I are going out of town," came Rumpelstiltskin's voice.

Emma stared up at him, and Neal could tell she was not happy with this turn of events. "What? Why?"

"I have to help him with something. It was either you or I Emma, and I couldn't let it be you."

"Why not? I can do anything you can Neal."

But Neal shook his head. "I know. But not this. You don't know what this person looks like. I do. I can find him more easily and be back before you know it."

"Who is this person?"

Neal swallowed tight. He didn't know if Rumpelstiltskin wanted to the fact that he had a son to be public knowledge. "Peter Pan… we need everyone from fairytale in this world to be here before we can get home."

It was a lie, and he hated that he was doing it, but he needed to. For now.

Emma sighed, resting against him. "So what am I going to do while you're gone?"

He held her close, kissing her head softly. "Simple. You'll get to bond with your parents."

Her face was conflicted – though she tried to put on a face that said she didn't care. Neal could read her though, and she was nervous. Neal couldn't blame her, but at least her parents were still alive. Because he and Thomas were in Neverland for so long, their parents were long dead.

It broke his heart to think that their parents died not knowing where they were.

"Good luck…" Emma whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, leaving the shop.

Neal turned to Rumpelstiltskin again when Emma was gone. "So how do we do this?"


	26. Separation Anxiety

Rumpelstiltskin smirked a little. "Well… as we don't know what happens when we cross the town line, I've been working on a potion that will allow me to keep my memories – just in case." He couldn't take any chances on losing his recently re-acquired memoires. And if the memories were indeed lost, who knew how he would be able to get them back. He had a feeling it would take more than a kiss from Belle.

"Do you know where he is?" Mr. Cassidy asked. "This world is a big place Rumpelstiltskin. Six billion people and all. Much bigger than the Enchanted Forest."

The imp-man frowned a little. That _was_ a lot of people, but he smirked a little with a nod. "Yes, I know… that is why I invented this little potion too." He held up the vial for the other man to see. "I pour this onto Baelfire's ball, and it will guide me to him. The cloak will help me contain my memories… at least, that's the theory."

He hoped it worked – he really did.

Mr. Cassidy looked at him, still not fully trusting him, which was to be expected, but he nodded. "Alright… when did you want to go?"

"One hour. Meet me by the clock tower with your bag."

Mr. Cassidy sighed, but nodded, walking out of the shop. Rumpelstiltskin went to the back, picking up the bag he'd had prepared already when he had taken Belle to his home to shower and do whatever it was women did to make themselves look presentable. Of course, he'd had to be careful, not only around her, but to make sure she didn't harm herself on some of the objects around them – Regina had been idiotic and hadn't given Belle any memories of how this world worked, which meant Belle had literally been a blank slate just sitting in the asylum, not knowing why she was there.

Rumpelstiltskin wasn't sure what was worse – being there and knowing why, or not having any memories and not knowing.

He heard her voice from behind him, and he smiled a little. "I know we've only just found each other again Belle, but I have to leave town…"

"Why?" she asked. She had always been curious about his doings, though he could never figure out why.

"I have to find my son."

Belle sighed and he embraced her. "I'm sorry Belle… but once I find him, we can be a family. Like Snow White's family."

It was strange that Rumpelstiltskin of all people wanted the normal family life, but he did. Deep down, all he wanted was a family. Oh, he'd had one before, but with Milah, who had eventually run out on him and into Hook's arms. But he wanted it back.

He wanted it with Belle.

"And why does that other man need to come with you? Why did he beg with you?" she asked.

Rumpelstiltskin frowned. Damn, she'd heard that. He waved his hand. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Rumpel… you weren't making deals with anyone, were you?"

"In order to find my son? Of course I did. What parent wouldn't do what they had to when they want to find their child?" Rumpelstiltskin replied. He knew she wanted to find the good in him, but with the Dark One's curse still in his blood, he couldn't stop making deals that would improve his life.

"But at the cost of ripping families apart? I know you want your son back but why are you taking someone else's son and husband away? You have magic, Rumpel. Why can't you do this yourself?"

"I don't know this world. Mrs. Swan-Cassidy and Mr. Cassidy do. That is why I can't do it alone."

Rumpelstiltskin carefully dumped the potion to keep his memories intact across Bae's cloak. It shimmered for a moment, and Rumpelstiltskin draped it around his neck. Belle still didn't look happy.

"Stop making deals that only help you," she told him. "Please. Rumpel. I would have thought you'd have changed since I was locked up… but I guess not."

Oh, if only she knew what he had planned for Regina – she would really hate him then. At least when the Wraith arrived, she would have no idea he was behind it.

That, he supposed, was a silver lining.

"I should go. I will be back in a few days, I hope," he told Belle as he grabbed his bag.

Belle said nothing as the door swung closed behind him.

* * *

"You did _what_?!" Emma cried as Neal sat in their bedroom, packing a small duffel bag.

"I took your deal with Mr. Gold with you," Neal replied simply as he zipped the bag up. "Don't speak so loudly, Emma. David's napping."

Emma rolled her eyes as she gazed at her husband. "He's fine… but why did you do that Neal?"

This was frustrating. She didn't want Neal to go away. Although she felt like she was getting closer to her parents, she still didn't want to deal with them alone, without Neal to be able to tell them that she was uncomfortable with the topic of conversation.

"I did it so you could spend time with your parents."

"Neal, I don't know if I can accept them as my parents yet!" If she would at all. "How can you expect this to be okay?"

"Emma… I know it'll be hard for you to be alone with your parents, but you have to trust me on this. You don't know who this person is that Rumpelstiltskin wants me to find… I do. And I know you could track him down with your skills, but it would take longer than it will take me," he said, adding in the last part when she'd opened her mouth to protest.

Emma sighed and ran a hand through her hair. So what if it would take a little longer for her to be able to find whoever it was Rumpelstiltskin wanted? Maybe she needed to get out of Storybrooke, away from all of this insanity. She was glad she'd found where she belonged, but this was more than what she'd ever thought was possible.

She didn't have a choice with this though.

"Good luck… and come back soon," she whispered.

Neal gave her a kind smile, the one that she'd fallen in love with all the way in Seattle. That felt like a lifetime ago after everything that had happened.

"Alright, alright," she replied. "I see I can't win this one."

Neal put his bag on his shoulder and kissed her softly. "I love you. Please trust that this is needed. After I'm back, we don't have to be apart anymore."

Emma returned the kiss. "I hope so Neal, I really do."

But she wasn't sure if she could believe it. Not yet. This wasn't the world of happy endings after all.

Where she was from was.

Neal gave her another soft kiss, before leaving their home to meet Mr. Gold. Emma watched him go, a hand on the window, before he was out of her line of sight.

When he was gone, she went downstairs, where her parents were sitting in the living room.

"Where'd Neal go?" her mother asked, looking at her curiously.

Emma took a seat across from them. "He… had to go out of town with Mr. Gold."

"Oh…" her mother replied. "I wish him luck then. Rumpelstiltskin can be difficult to deal with."

Her father muttered something under his breath, and Emma didn't dare ask what it was.

"So… it's just the three –four- of us then," Emma said, tapping her finger on her knee. "The three of us, and then David."

Both of her parents smiled, and her father spoke up. "I think we can handle ourselves just fine until he gets back. It'll be nice to get to know each other."

"But you'll… be willing to do that at my pace, right? You won't push me into doing it if I don't want to?" she asked. She needed to know if her parents would be the pushy sort that she'd heard about in high school.

"Of course we won't push you. But you're… you're our daughter, and we abandoned you… even if it was to break a curse. We want you to know how sorry we are for doing it."

Emma swallowed tight as she forced herself to look at her parents. "I know. Those pictures in the book of the nursery… you did care… you did what you had to do because you wanted to put me first…"

What would have happened if Charming hadn't made the wardrobe in time? Would she have died? Been in Regina's care?

Compared to what she'd gone though, she didn't like either of those options.

"Of course we care about you Emma. Why wouldn't we? After… all we went through in order to have you…" her mother said softly. "And we didn't even get the chance to raise you… even for a night."

She rubbed her arm, not cold, but just for something to do as they sat in silence. It was quiet for a few moments, her mother's words harsh, but true.

Regina had ruined their family.


	27. Belle

Emma took a deep breath after another few moments of silence. "I'm… going to take David for a walk after he wakes up if you want to come with us." David needed to know his grandparents, as strange as it was that they were only ten years older than his mother.

She saw her parents nod. Okay. So they would go on their first family walk. If one didn't count the walks they took around town trying to get everyone to settle down and find a way home… but Emma didn't really count that. They weren't actually family walks at all.

She could do this. She could. She was strong. If she could handle seeing her husband nearly dead on a hospital table, she could go for a walk with her parents and her son.

Right?

Right.

"So… how did you and Neal meet?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"We met in Portland, Oregon," she replied. "I was… hanging out near his car and we just got to talking."

Okay, so part of it was a lie, but really, she didn't want her parents to know that she had stolen Neal's car… that he himself had stolen. At least, not yet. Not until she knew she could absolutely trust them not to judge her for doing what she had to do.

Her parents smiled at her. "Well, at least it wasn't a thing like the two of us," her father said, glancing at her mother.

She hadn't thought about that. It was actually kind of similar to how her parents met. Her mother stole her father's jewels.

At least he hadn't stolen them _first_.

Emma smiled a little and nodded anyway. "Yes. Kind of like yours…"

She looked at Mary-Margaret. "At least now I understand why Ruby thought it was odd that I liked hot chocolate with cinnamon too…"

"Like mother like daughter I guess," Mary-Margaret said, before turning to David. "Do you think we can figure out a way to bring it back to the Enchanted Forest?"

Oh great. They were onto this subject again.

"I think we can do anything," David replied with another smile tossed to both of the women. Emma wanted to return it, but she couldn't – not yet. The thought of going to a strange world filled with magic and fairytale characters… was just odd to her.

David Henry's wail gave her the perfect excuse to leave the room, and she excused herself from her parents' eager gaze.

"Thanks for crying, kid," she murmured as she lifted David Henry up out of his crib. "You really saved me back there."

David looked up at her with his wide eyes and slowly calmed down when he realized he was back in his mother's arms. Emma put his head on her shoulder and bounced him gently, chuckling a little.

"What do you say, kid? Want to go for a walk with grandpa and grandma?" she asked.

God it sounded weird. David and Mary-Margaret were only ten years older than she was. David though, didn't seem to care as he simply gurgled again, a smile on his face. She wondered if he was starting to understand some words she was saying.

Judging by the gurgles, he could, especially as Emma lowered him onto the changing table to make sure he was dry before they left for their walk.

"We'll always be together," she murmured softly to the boy. "You and me, and Daddy… and grandpa and grandma…"

David Henry smiled up at her, kicking his legs as Emma finished changing him. Emma laughed a little and lifted him into her arms, going downstairs to where she'd left Mary-Margaret and father-David, who both smiled.

Mary-Margaret reached for him, and Emma handed him over. It felt natural, considering they had been friends for months before the apparent curse broke and Mary-Margaret suddenly turned into Snow White – her mother.

"Hey there David," her mother cooed to the boy. "I'm your… your grandma…"

Her father tapped his nose. "And I'm your grandpa…"

They were taking to their roles as grandparents much better than Emma was taking her role as their daughter. Princess. _Savior._

But… they seemed happy with how she had lived her life… the small amount that she told them, anyway.

"Shall we go for the walk then?" she asked.

Mary-Margaret nodded and stood, still holding David, and set him in the stroller, doing the straps properly, to Emma's surprise.

"How did you know what to do?" she asked. "Do they have strollers in the… other world?"

But her mother shook her head, chuckling. "Not like this… but Mary-Margaret knew how to work strollers."

"How?"

Her mother shrugged. "She would watch some of the siblings of her students sometimes. She had to know how to work a stroller."

"Oh," Emma replied. That made sense.

Once Mary-Margaret and Emma were certain David Henry was properly secure in his stroller, the family headed out for their walk. Emma pushed the stroller, and her parents held hands, walking behind her.

It was a gorgeous day. Perfect for family reunions and barbeque parties. She could smell the obvious barbeque scent coming from many of the homes in their neighborhood as they made their way to the main square of town.

"Seems like everyone is happy to have their right memories back," she heard her father remark.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Can't say I blame them… I can't imagine spending twenty-eight years as a totally different person."

Honestly, the fact that there weren't more people waiting outside Archie's office was a miracle. Then again, the curse had only just been broken. It hadn't even been a day – there was time for everyone to realize that they might need a professional's advice.

Even if that professional's PhD was fake and given to him by a _curse_.

"You know… Emma's mobile from the nursery is in Mr. Gold's shop," her father suddenly said.

She heard her mother's footsteps stop. _"What?!"_

"How do you think I got my memories back before the curse actually broke?" was the reply.

Emma turned around, looking at her parents in confusion, she opened her mouth to speak, but her mother seemed too emotional about the missing mobile to pay attention to her standing there.

"We need to get it back, Charming! It's an heirloom! It was mother's, it was mine, and… I want it back, e-even though we didn't get to…" she trailed off, and Emma saw her eyes filled with tears.

"We'll get it back…" Emma managed to say. "Now that-that Gold isn't in town, we shouldn't need to make a deal."

Her mother stared at her. "You're right… we shouldn't… we can get everything in that shop back to their rightful owners…"

"Let's hurry then," Emma said, turning the stroller in the direction of the shop.

They quickly entered the shop, which was silent, though Emma could tell that others had beaten them there, wanting their possessions back. She wondered how exactly the things ended up in the shop to begin with, especially something like the mobile that was supposedly hanging above her crib in her nursery in the other world.

"Can I… can I help you?" a voice asked, coming from the back room. A woman with dark hair appeared, looking at the family curiously, though her eyes lingered on her mother.

"Who are you?" Emma asked.

"My name is Belle," the woman replied. "I… work for Rumpelstiltskin."

Of course it was. In a world filled with fairytales, why wouldn't _Beauty and the Beast_ be a part of it? But the way she said 'work' made her think that maybe it wasn't all she was doing with the man that currently had her husband in some other city in the world.

"Belle…" her mother said, frowning a little. "That name sounds familiar."

"What's your name?" Belle asked to her mother.

"Snow. Snow White… Regina thought I could do with a haircut in this world," she replied.

"Oh! You're Leopold's daughter!" Belle replied. "I'm Maurice's daughter…"

Her parents stared at the woman. "We - we heard you were dead…" her father said. "What happened?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "Regina."

"Right… why else would anyone want to take you away from your family?" Emma said.

Belle's gaze turned to her. "And you are…?"

"Emma," she replied. "Their… daughter."

"I get it," Belle said with a smile. "It's good to meet you, Emma."

Emma smiled. "Nice to meet you too…"

It was funny. As a child, Belle had been Emma's favorite princess. She had dreamed of going to Disneyland and meeting her, bonding over the love of books, and talking about how gross Gaston was, and how amazing it was that the Beast changed so much… never in Emma's life did she think that her favorite princess was _real_ , and, she assumed, the story was turned on its head.

"We came here in search of something…" Snow said. "A mobile, with glass unicorns on it… do you know where that is?"

Belle smiled, lifting something gently from a hook near the back door. "Is this it? It's beautiful."

Mary-Margaret let out a relieved sigh. "Yes, this is it… thank you so much Belle."

"No problem at all… seems like everyone in town has been coming here getting their possessions back," Belle said. "I wonder how they wound up in Rumpelstiltskin's shop…"

David shrugged. "There's a lot of things about the curse that are still confusing."

Belle nodded. "Yes… like why we didn't go back to the Enchanted Forest."

"The biggest mystery of all… but we're trying to work on a way back."

Belle smiled. "Good. If you need anything, just let me know."

Emma smiled. Who would have thought that she would work with her favorite princess on a ride back to a forest where fairytales actually existed?


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neal's brother and Cinderella's Prince are not the same guy. I just happened to forget Prince Thomas existed when I named Neal's brother. Oops?

Baelfire looked around the town he was in. Thank the gods he was with someone he knew, or else he would easily get lost. He was shocked that he had managed to find Thomas, of all people, here in the city right as he arrived. Lucky, but shocked.

"You look hungry, Baelfire," Thomas said. "Let's get you something to eat, shall we?"

Baelfire nodded, not sure exactly what kind of food he was going to be getting in this world. He didn't care though, he was starving, and he just wanted to eat.

"As long as it's good," he replied. "What's good here?"

Thomas smiled. "Pizza."

He had no idea what that was.

"I trust you," he replied. "You'd never lead me astray, would you?"

"Nah…" Thomas said. "Not after what you did for all of us in Neverland. What you need to eat here is some New York style pizza. It's the best pizza in the country."

"New York… is that what this place is?"

"This city, yeah. Don't worry Baelfire, you'll get used to it. We did… eventually. It's daunting at first but… it's home…" Thomas explained. "There are a lot of things you need to know in order to survive in this world. More than being a thief, or spinning wool. You need an education – schooling, and then you need to get a job…"

Baelfire wasn't sure he liked the sound of any of that at all. The Enchanted Forest even seemed easier than that, even with all the magic that was there. Too bad that even if he wanted to go back there, he had no way. There was no magic in this world, and he wasn't sure if Tink would ever want to see him again after he left Neverland, let alone help him get to another world that wasn't the one he'd spent a few hundred years in.

But he hadn't left her alone – oh no. There was another, slightly smaller, group of Lost Boys there to keep her company. Baelfire wouldn't dare leave her alone.

"Oh," he said simply as Thomas led him into something called a 'restaurant', where he was hit with the scent of… well, he assumed it was food. Whatever it was , it smelled delicious.

"Ah! Thomas! You want your usual?" a man said, walking up to Thomas with a small thing of paper in his hand. "Who's this?" he asked, turning to Baelfire.

"This is my friend… Peter," Thomas replied. "We… went to school together. I was a sort of big brother to him."

That was such a lie, considering Baelfire was supposed to be well over three-hundred years old at this point in time. Funny how time worked – people that were younger than him were now older than him, people that had been his age were now dead (Wendy)… at least now things would be stable, since he had no plans to go to Neverland, or any world where time was frozen.

"Ah. What can I get you Peter?" the man asked.

Baelfire blinked, then looked at the… thing that Thomas had given him, looking at the drinks. He didn't know what any of that was, so he looked back at the man and said, "Water. Just some water, please."

"And to eat?"

"We're going to split a pizza," Thomas said. "Mushrooms, green olives and sausage."

"Got it."

The man left, and Baelfire looked at Thomas in complete confusion.

"Ah, right… you're not used to this food. Don't worry, Baelfire."

"Why did you use my Neverland name?" he asked.

"Sh! Not so loud," Thomas replied, leaning closer to him and dropping his voice. "People in this world don't know that Neverland is a real place. They think it's simply a story. Everything that you grew up with in that first world is all a story. Including your father."

"My father?" Baelfire whispered. "He's just a character?"

Thomas nodded. "Indeed he is… although he looks much less human than I think you probably remember him… did he ever eat babies?"

Baelfire stared at Thomas as if he'd suddenly shrunk back into his childhood appearance. His father was… a nasty man, but he would never eat children – no matter how corrupt he had become in the years since his disappearance.

"Papa would never do such a thing. What kind of stories are told in this world? That's sick!"

What kind of world was he in, anyway?

"Easy, Baelfire… they're just stories."

"So I'm just… a storybook character? I don't really exist?" Baelfire asked.

"Actually…" Thomas said, leaning back in his chair. "I don't remember reading a story where the son of Rumpelstiltskin exists… so technically, you don't exist in this world at all."

Whoa. That was strange. Why was it that his father existed in this world, but not him? He was his father's son – he'd known his father before his father became magical and dark… why didn't he exist too?

The man that had asked what they wanted to drink and eat returned, setting a glass of water in front of him, and something in a bottle in front of Thomas. According to the label, it was beer. Huh. Strange how beer existed in this world as well.

"Pizza will be up soon," the man said before walking away.

"Who is he?" Baelfire asked.

"His name's Nick," Thomas replied, taking a swig of the bottle of beer. "We were in the same class together at the university while we were studying to become actors."

"Like in those dumb minstrel shows?" Baelfire asked. "Why would you want to do that?"

The man laughed. "No, more than that. But I decided it was too much, so I became a journalist instead."

"Journalist?"

"I work in the news, telling people what's going on in the world," he replied. "It's a good job, steady pay… and I met my wife through it."

"You're married?" Baelfire asked, staring at the man. He never would have guessed one of the twins would ever get married. Then again, he'd never thought any of the lost boys would ever get married, but that's because he didn't think any of them would grow up.

But Thomas nodded. "Yes. Her name is Elizabeth. Interestingly enough, she doesn't have parents either."

"Fate…" Baelfire said. "It must be fate."

Thomas nodded. "Yep. Must've been fate."

"You're happy though. I can tell. I'm glad for you," Baelfire replied, wondering if he'd get lucky like that himself when he got older.

"You'll meet her later on today."

"I will?"

"Where did you think you were going to sleep? The streets? Trust me, you don't want to do that. You'll stay with us. We've got the room, and Elizabeth won't mind," Thomas said, as Nick the waiter returned with what Baelfire could only assume was the pizza for the two of them.

"Alright," Baelfire replied, watching Thomas plate two pieces of the pizza for himself, before sliding something over to Baelfire.

"Here. All you have to do is slide that under the slice you want and put it on your plate," he explained.

Baelfire bit his lip as he did what he was told, and he managed to get a slice onto the plate, before picking it up and biting into it.

It was delicious. Why hadn't he ever been able to have this before?

"What do you think?" his former Lost Boy asked.

"It's amazing. I've never had anything like it," Baelfire replied, taking another bite of the pizza.

His friend laughed. "I had a feeling you'd enjoy it. New York-style pizza is one of the many, many things this city is known for."

Baelfire took a drink of water, his mouth on fire thanks to the hot food. He hadn't realized how hungry and thirsty he'd been after falling through the portal to this land. At least he was safe now, far away from his papa… though the news that his papa was known in both this world and the Enchanted Forest had him terribly alarmed.

When they finished eating, Thomas led him outside and back onto the crowded, busy streets. Carriages that didn't have horses on them zoomed past, and Baelfire made a mental note to avoid walking into the street at all cost… at least, alone. He had a feeling Thomas and his wife knew how to navigate these streets.

"Where are we headed now?" he asked, trying to keep up with Thomas as he moved quickly down the walkway.

"I figured we should probably get you some clothing…"

"Is… what I'm wearing not right?" No one had given him a strange look, aside from Nick, who'd looked confused as to why he took so long to order the drink at the restaurant.

"Well… for New York, you fit in quite well," Thomas told him. "But… we should probably get you some more clothing since you'll need them for the rest of the week."

He wasn't used to that. Even in the Enchanted Forest with his mother and papa, he didn't have that many outfits to choose from.

He simply nodded and follow Thomas into a shop that sold clothing, and he didn't know where to start. This clothing was different from the clothing he wore in the Enchanted Forest and Neverland. He supposed every world had to be different.

"So what looks interesting to you, Baelfire?"

Bae selected four pairs of pants, five shirts, and three pairs of shoes, all with the help of Thomas.

As they walked down the street to Thomas' home, something bumped him on the foot. Looking down, he felt the color drain out of his face, his heart sinking deep into his stomach.

The ball. The one he'd been playing with that day all those years ago when his father turned that man into a snail, and the start of the downfall.

When his name was called out, Bae did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.


	29. The Chase

Neal was exhausted after playing 'chase the ball all the way to New York City', but Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't let them stop. Neal had been worried the last hour about them running out of gas, but by some miracle, they had managed to make it into the heart of Manhattan before his car finally gave up and they had to walk, keeping the ball in line the entire way. With Rumpelstiltskin's cane, it was difficult, but they were managing. Gazing at the older man, Neal noticed that he appeared to be tense, his free hand clenching and unclenching every few steps they took.

"The island's only seven miles long… we'll find him," Neal said, not really sure what else to say.

"Oh, I know that dearie. I am not worried about finding him, I'm worried about him running away the minute we do," the older man replied.

"I'll talk to him. He trusted me in Neverland, I don't see why he wouldn't trust me now." He would just have to make sure that he distanced himself from Rumpelstiltskin when they finally had Peter… no, _Baelfire_ in their line of sight again. He didn't want to worry about breaking the trust of the person who had taken such good care of he and his twin brother when they were children, Lost Boys, in Neverland.

Though it had been years since he'd seen Baelfire, Neal didn't dare break the trust that the Lost Boys had.

New York City was crowded though, something Neal had known (after all, its reputation preceded it), but had never expected to ever have to experience… and he wasn't sure he wanted to experience this amount of crowds ever again, especially if he had to play 'chase an enchanted ball through city streets' again.

Which he really hoped he wouldn't.

Rumpel's eyes stayed glued to the ball as it rolled almost lazily down the street, missing each person as it zigzagged through the people completely unaware that the people that were chasing it were two childhood characters that they grew up reading about.

This was ridiculous, Neal thought. He obviously believed in magic, and he believed that this would work, but why couldn't they just find the kid already? He did want to talk to Peter, badly, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep chasing after him, especially after a seven hour car ride with his moody-as-all-hell father. If they went to the Enchanted Forest, Neal would make sure that David and any other future children he and Emma had, would know to never, ever, _ever_ associate with Rumpelstiltskin. These deals were just insane. Snow probably got the best end of them – only needing to tell him Emma's name, out of all the things he could have asked for (like getting out of the jail she and Charming had locked him in before the curse hit).

Neal frowned a little as he noticed someone walking ahead of them, his thoughts of deals breaking up as he tried to think of why the man looked so familiar to him.

The ball had plans too – nudging against the foot of a boy walking with the strangely familiar man.

"BAELFIRE!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled from just behind him. Neal's jaw dropped a little when the other man turned as well.

His brother.

Then, Baelfire started running, and Neal mentally groaned – not wanting to chase after him. He was exhausted – running was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"Find him. This is the last part of your deal. Get him to talk to me!" Rumpelstiltskin said, clinging to his arm.

"Alright, alright…" Neal grunted, sprinting after the teenager, completely ignoring his brother for the moment.

Until his own name was shouted out.

He forced himself not to turn around though, as much as he did want to see his brother.

"PETER!" he shouted. "SLOW DOWN! _PLEASE_!"

But Baelfire didn't stop. Neither of them knew where they were going.

He felt another body tackle his, and the man yelled out, grunting as he was dragged to the ground, Baelfire disappearing from his view in the crowds. Neal struggled against his captor, who finally released him once the boy was gone.

"What the hell are you doing?!" his brother's voice shouted at him as he stood up shakily.

"What does it look like, brother?" Neal replied gruffly. "I'm trying to talk to Peter."

"Baelfire," his brother replied. "He doesn't go by Peter anymore. He's left Neverland."

"Yes, Thomas, I got that when he showed up in the middle of New York City!" Neal replied. "Now I have to find him or – "

"Or what? You don't get to run away from the law?"

Neal's eyes narrowed. "Don't even start with that. Everything is cleared." He didn't have time to be lectured by his brother right now.

His brother snorted. "Please."

"I don't have time for his," Neal said, sprinting off in search of Baelfire once again.

Dammit. Where could he have gone? The city was crowded with buildings squished next to each other. He could be anywhere by now… and on any of the floors of these buildings. Where would Peter Pan flee to in New York City?

Neal let out a sigh and rested against a building, closing his eyes and trying to _think._

The only thing he could think of was that Baelfire would be a fish out of water in New York City with the cement, tall buildings, and cars… the only place he knew Baelfire could go and feel… at least a bit at home would be…

"Central Park."

Great. Now how did he get there?

Neal let out another sigh, and began walking again.

"Twin number one. Come here," he suddenly heard as he was walking past a seemingly-empty alleyway.

"Baelfire…" he sighed in relief, going over to the boy. "Are you okay?"

Baelfire nodded. "I just… couldn't face him that's all."

"Who?" Neal asked, playing stupid on the off-chance he hadn't been spotted before Baelfire took off running.

"My father. He's here. He's looking for me," Baelfire whispered. "How did he end up in this world?"

"A curse…" Neal said. "It ripped everyone away from the Enchanted Forest and brought them to this world. Your father included."

"How do you know that?"

"My wife broke it… she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Who?"

Neal blinked in confusion for a moment, before he remembered that Baelfire was born long before Snow and David were. He shook his head. "Never mind. She broke the curse… that's all you need to know."

"And this curse brought them all to this place? This… city?"

"No. It trapped them all in another town about seven hours away. I made a deal with your father… and his end of it was to find you," Neal replied. "He missed you, Baelfire."

He watched the boy shift, visibly uncomfortable with his words. "He did?"

"Yes. Terribly. Why do you think it was the ball you saw first? He kept it. All those years you were gone. He kept that, and I'm pretty sure what he's wearing is _your_ cloak…" Neal said. He would say anything at this point to get Baelfire back to Rumpelstiltskin so they could get back to Storybrooke.

"But he's still making deals."

"But to find _you_."

Baelfire ran a hand through his hair, the familiar look of frustration on his face. Neal could tell he was torn, and he understood why. It was a lot of pressure. Did he go back to the father that abandoned him? Or did he stay and force his father away from him?

Eventually, the boy nodded "Okay… I'll go with you. But what about your brother?"

Neal shrugged, rubbing his arm, the muscle still sore from when he was tackled. "I don't know. Guess I'll have to talk to him."

Not that he was looking forward to it. His brother was Mr. Perfect, and he… well, he wasn't. Sure he cleaned up his act, but his past was still there, haunting him. And somehow, his brother had found out about it.

"Listen Baelfire…my brother and I… we have issues. Since we got back from Neverland… I haven't been the, well, most… legal person. This world was hard to adjust to. Schools and universities weren't meant for me. I turned to doing what I do best. Thomas and I haven't talked to each other in probably five years now," Neal explained. "So, while you're nervous to talk to your dad, I'm nervous to talk to Thomas… but we're both Lost Boys, are we not?"

Baelfire nodded.

"We can do anything – including talking to those we're afraid to talk to. So let's both take a deep breath and swallow our fears. Like when we were battling Captain Hook."

He saw a small smile form on Baelfire's face, and he knew he had him.

"Let's go, Neal."

Neal let out a quiet sigh of relief, following Baelfire back to where they'd left Thomas and Rumpelstiltskin.


	30. Talks

Neal watched carefully as Rumpelstiltskin approached, his face contorted into complete joy.

"Baelfire," Rumpelstiltskin whispered, dropping to his knees. "I am so sorry, my boy. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Papa, you're looking well," the teenager replied, not even bothering to answer his father's question.

Neal wanted to listen in more, but he knew it was private, plus, Thomas was still there.

"So, dear brother…" Thomas said. "How has your life been since we last saw each other… or heard about each other's accomplishments?"

"Smooth sailing," Neal replied bitterly. "Minus the whole… near-death experience caused by my wife's psycho step-grandmother."

"What?"

Neal picked at a stray string on his jacket, brushing some dirt off as he did so. "Look… there's a lot you need to be filled in on. Is there a bar or something we could go to so we have some privacy?"

He needed a drink, badly.

"Sure. I can take you back to my apartment. That's where Baelfire and I were headed anyway."

Neal nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, that… sounds good." He looked over at Baelfire and Rumpelstiltskin, who seemed to be having a staring contest. Clearing his throat, he got their attention.

"Um… Thomas invited us back to his apartment, if you guys want to go," he said awkwardly.

Rumpelstiltskin managed to tear his eyes away from his son, and nodded in agreement. "I believe our conversations are best suited for a private area, anyway."

"Great…" he said. "Let's go then."

The sooner they got away from the prying eyes of others the better.

The awkward quartet made their way to his brother's apartment – a very nice one. Much better than the one he and Emma had in Tallahassee – though that one was far from being terrible.

"Baelfire… you and your father can talk in the bedroom if you want… for some privacy," Thomas said. "It's through that door right there."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded, taking Bae through the doorway, and Neal couldn't hear the conversation anymore.

"Explain what you've been up to," Thomas said.

"You have no idea," Neal replied with a slight chuckle, sitting down in a chair. "Where should I start?"

"You married?" Thomas asked.

Neal nodded. "Her name is Emma. We have a son too… David. He'll be a year in October."

"Where do you live?"

"A town called Storybrooke, Maine."

"What do you do for a living?"

Neal nodded toward the door. "I work for Rumpelstiltskin."

"YOU _WHAT_?!"

Neal sprang up from the chair, shushing his brother. "Look, when Emma and I moved to Storybrooke I didn't know it was Rumpelstiltskin. The only reason he's here in this world is because of a curse."

That seemed to get his brother's attention. "Curse?"

Neal nodded. "Do you remember that queen, Regina, that the pirate talked about before Hook disappeared from Neverland?"

His brother nodded. "Of course… he was terrified."

"She cast a curse on the Enchanted Forest… it brought everyone here, to this world. To Storybrooke. Emma broke it," Neal explained.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "But how could your wife break a curse that is from that land? There is no magic here."

"She… is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

His brother stared at him. " _What_?!"

"You should know that not every fairytale ends when the book does. The stories in this world are actually quite watered down from the stories that actually happened. The Evil Queen poisoned me with an apple turnover – "

"You _fell_ for that, knowing she was the Evil Queen and her obsession with apples?"

Neal shot him a glare. "Emma didn't believe that any of it was real, so when Regina brought it over to our house I knew that was the only way to get her to believe. True Love's Kiss broke the curse and restored the memories of everyone who was cursed. That's why Rumpelstiltskin is here now."

Thomas rubbed his eyes, clearly exhausted and still slightly confused by the situation. Neal couldn't blame him at all – the situation was still unreal to him sometimes too.

"So you, one of the famous Lost Boys, happens to fall in love with the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming? How does that work?" his brother finally asked.

Neal shrugged. "True love is true love. You know that… but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. Do you have a wife?"

Thomas nodded. "Her name is Elizabeth."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're happy."

"I am… I'm really happy. Are you?"

Neal nodded. "Yeah. I am. Emma helped me get on the right path. She made me see that… stealing and lying wasn't the right way to go. We settled down… we straightened out all of my legal issues… started a family… broke a curse we didn't even know about until almost a year ago…"

"You've been busy then."

"Bit."

They sat in silence for a moment, before Thomas stood, going to the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of vodka. "Shot?" he asked, as if they hadn't just been having a conversation about dark curses and their lives.

"Please," Neal responded, gratefully taking the shot glass when Thomas poured. "To the future, I suppose."

Thomas nodded. "To our futures."

They clinked glasses, and Neal downed the liquor, actually welcoming the burn in his throat before he set the glass back down on the counter.

"So… now what?"

* * *

Baelfire gazed at his father from across the bed. He wasn't happy that his father was here – not at all. He wanted to run, but he was tired of running. He'd been running for three hundred years now. He just wanted to live his life now… and he supposed his father was going to be involved – whether he wanted his father to be or not.

"Bae I… I don't know what you want me to say."

"Have you been using magic?"

He knew he'd trapped his father with that question – judging by the squirm and uncomfortable look his father had on his face.

"I – "

"Tell me the truth," Baelfire said. "Please, Papa."

His father sighed, sinking down onto the bed, holding a cane. Baelfire had been surprised to see him with his limp again, but it was a welcome sight, seeing his father as a human rather than… whatever he was before.

"Yes. I've been using magic, but just to find you. How else would I have been able to find you in this world?"

"How did you get here to begin with?" Baelfire asked, something very unsettling about this whole confrontation to begin with. Why would his father suddenly show up in New York City?

"There was a curse cast on our land by an evil queen."

Baelfire raised an eyebrow. "You could have stopped it."

"And I was going to… until I heard that she was bringing us to a land without magic. The land I knew you had landed in."

"I wasn't here first."

"I know that now, but I didn't know that then."

Fair point.

"What do you want?"

"I want you back with me, of course… why else would I have allowed Regina to rip us to this world?"

Baelfire frowned, leaning against the wall with the window. He had a very good point… but since when was his father interested in protecting anyone but himself?

Unless he'd changed.

"If I go back with you…do you promise not to use magic anymore? Will you be good?"

He could see the conflict on his father's face, and Baelfire felt his heart sink. He would have hoped that his father would be one-hundred percent okay with giving up the magic that had gotten them into this mess in the first place.

He supposed he'd been foolish to think that.

"I'll need help with giving it up, Baelfire," his father eventually said.

His eyes widened a little, shocked that he would even ask for help.

"I'll help you, Papa," Baelfire said. "But forgiveness… will take time."

"I know, my boy. I understand. I betrayed you."

Baelfire looked at his father's face, and saw something he hadn't the day he vanished through the portal. Truth. His father's eyes showed that he really did want him back, and he really did want to repent for what he'd done.

Slowly, the boy made his way over to his father, sitting next to him.

His father seemed surprised, but didn't move away. Instead, the man wrapped his arms around Baelfire, pulling him into an embrace and lastly kissing his head.

A white light suddenly spread across the room, and, unbeknownst to those in New York City, the white light enveloped the small town of Storybrooke as well…


	31. The Return

Emma shrieked, holding tight to David as something burst through the town. A white light – magical – had appeared out of nowhere.

She had been taking a walk with David – her parents were with Granny and Ruby working on something they hadn't told her about yet.

Oh God, what was going on?

Taking a deep breath after the light and wind died down, Emma frowned as she noticed a strong… forest smell. Forest? They had been in the middle of town – not the woods. Opening her eyes, she gasped as she stared around the area.

Where were they?

David looked around in curiosity, but didn't seem to be injured – that was the most important thing right now.

"Come on David… let's see if we can find anyone…" Emma said, taking a few steps in the forest, David's curious babbling echoing through the forest.

Something suddenly shot out from a bush, and Emma screamed, running with David as fast as she could, scrambling up a tree, not knowing what else to do as her son began to cry.

* * *

Snow's cry softened as she realized she and David were safe after… whatever that was had passed, and she opened her eyes, letting out a startled gasp.

They were home, but how?

"Snow… are you alright?" her husband asked.

Snow nodded. "Fine, are you?"

Charming nodded as well. "We're home…"

They were in the room they were in when the curse had swept them away to the other land, but aside from Regina, someone else was missing.

"Emma. Where's Emma?" she asked with a terrified look at her husband.

"We'll find her. Don't worry Snow," Charming replied, running out of the room, Snow following. They just got her back. They couldn't lose her again.

"EMMA!" they shouted, running through the familiar trees. "EMMA!"

A baby's cry pierced the air, along with a scream.

The scream sent a bolt of horror straight down her spine as she and Charming took off running toward the source. Oh God, that couldn't have been good. Emma could be hurt – she didn't know this world. She'd only been here for ten minutes before they had to…

_No Snow, don't think about that now._

"EMMA!" she shouted, spotting her daughter and grandson in a tree, a warrior standing in front of them, weapon at the ready, with a man standing next to her, looking up at Emma. Snow frowned a little, thinking that he looked familiar…

The people standing at the base of the tree turned, both of them staring at she and Charming.

"Snow White? Prince James?" the man asked.

"Prince Phillip?" Charming gasped.

"You know each other?" the warrior asked, looking between she and Charming, and Phillip.

"My father and King Leopold were allies during the Third Ogre Wars. He sent many fighters to aide us after the ogres stopped attacking King Maurice's and began attacking ours. Before I turned into the Yaogui and… well, you know the rest."

The warrior's eyes narrowed a little and he – no, _she_ , removed her helmet and looked at them. "My apologies, Snow White, Prince James."

Snow was tempted to correct her, but she didn't.

"We aren't the ones you should be apologizing to. I think you should apologize to our daughter and grandson," Charming said, nodding at the duo who were still frozen on the branch of the tree.

"Your daughter?" Phillip asked.

"It's complicated," Snow said, shaking her head. "Time was frozen for us, but not for her."

"The curse?"

Snow simply nodded. "But… then it was broke, and something, somehow… transported us back here. A white light… and we were separated because of… where we must have been in the other world."

The warrior took David into her arms as Emma made her way down from the tree. "My name is Mulan… I'm sorry for startling you," she said. "It's been hard to know what was going on. Friend from foe."

She saw her daughter simply nod, quickly taking David back into her arms. "N-no problem. Where are we anyway?"

"The Enchanted Forest."

Her daughter stared. "From the book?!"

"Yes… we're home, Emma," Charming said.

"Where's Neal? He and Gold were in New York… did they make it back?" Emma asked, looking worried as Phillip brought over the abandoned stroller, Emma sliding the baby back in it.

"Don't worry. We'll find him."

"How? What if he didn't come back?!" Emma whimpered.

Snow drew her daughter into her arms. "Shh… Emma, relax, please… it's okay…"

"Let's go back to the palace," Charming murmured. Snow could feel his hand on Emma's head, stroking her hair. "We need to re-group."

Emma sniffled. "Who all is there?"

Snow smiled a little. "No one but your father and I. Our allies know where to go though… and hopefully, they are there waiting for us, or on their way." She looked over at Phillip and Mulan. "You are welcome to join us, if you want."

They both gave her small smiles. "We'll be there later. We need to go get Aurora from our campsite."

She stared at him. "You found her?"

Phillip nodded. "Yes. Once time began moving again we were able to resume the search. She just woke a few days ago. We were on our way to the safe haven but it appears that's no longer necessary… providing you weren't the only ones to come back."

Snow smiled, relieved. "I'm glad. Meet us back at our palace. It's… in a bit of a state of disrepair but… hopefully there is one room untouched enough to hold a meeting in."

Mulan and Phillip nodded, quickly heading off to fetch Aurora as Snow and Charming led Emma to the palace.

She watched Emma stare around the area, trying to take it all in, trying to understand what in the world just happened.

"So. Phillip and Aurora. From Sleeping Beauty?" she asked.

Snow nodded. "Yes… but as always, there's a twist on the tale."

Her daughter sighed. "Of course there is."

"Snow! James!" Red shouted from the doors to the castle, running over to them and hugging them tight. "Oh thank the Gods! Where were you?"

Snow chuckled, returning the tight hug. "We had to go find Emma, and ran into Phillip, and the warrior they call Mulan. They'll be here soon."

"Okay, good," Red said. "Graham – he wants to go by that here too – is inside, looking at the rooms to see which one is good enough to be used for our meeting… some of them are completely destroyed, Snow. It's going to take a long time to rebuild."

Snow nodded as Emma walked off with her father and son.

"Which rooms?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"The ballroom is pretty bad… and so is your bedroom."

"What about Emma's nursery?" she whispered, not caring about the ballroom or her own bedroom.

Red was silent for a moment, embracing her gently. "It's… it's pretty bad too. Probably the worst room I saw."

Snow let out a choked sob, glad Red was there to be able to hold her up.

"Shh… Snow, it's okay," Red murmured. "I promise. The room might be destroyed, but you have your daughter, and a grandson. Your family is together…"

Snow rubbed her eyes, knowing Red was right. They might not have their perfect castle anymore, but a castle could be rebuilt. The family she and Charming had fought for… they finally had back.

Regina had taken much from her, but she could never take away her family, and now, Regina was gone – her soul taken from a Wraith the night before.

Her family could finally be at peace.


	32. Home

"What the hell did you do?" Thomas asked, looking at him.

 

"Me? Why do you think I had anything to do with this?!" Neal replied.

 

They were in a forest. A _forest._ How could he have controlled the strange white light that had enveloped them? Honestly.

 

But it really was just like Thomas to blame him for something out of their control. It happened all the time in Neverland, so why should anything change now that they were adults. Right now, all he was concerned with was finding Emma and David.

 

"I need to find my wife," Neal said.

 

"Your wife? What about mine?!" came the reply.

 

Neal groaned and ran a hand through his hair. This was a nightmare situation. He didn't even know where they were, or if their wives were here too… wherever _here_ was.

 

Rustling from a nearby bush had them both freezing in place.

 

"Who's there?" Neal asked. He instinctively reached for a weapon, before realizing that he had none on him.

 

"T-Thomas?" an unfamiliar voice called softly from the brush.

 

"Elizabeth!" he cried. "I'm over here!"

  
A woman stumbled through the brush, and Thomas rushed over to catch her before she fell. When Thomas kissed her, Neal realized that she must have been his wife.

 

"Oh Thomas! I'm so relieved! Where are we?" she asked, her eyes darting around in fear.

 

"I'm not sure, but don't worry. Everything will be fine," Thomas replied, to a roll of eyes from Neal.

 

"Who is that?" Elizabeth asked.

 

The couple looked at Neal, and he gave her a sheepish grin. "I'm Neal… Thomas' brother."

 

"Brother?! Thomas, you didn't tell me you had a brother!"

 

"Yeah well… I forgot I had one," Thomas muttered in reply, and Neal rolled his eyes again.

 

The woman – Elizabeth – joined him in rolling eyes. "You don't just forget you had a brother, Thomas. That's not right!"

 

Neal had to bite back a smile. He liked this woman already, and he'd only known her for a few moments. He also knew that bickering about their relationship was not good for them right now while they were in the middle of an unknown forest. They needed to find out where they were and how to get to safety.

 

"Um, not to be rude, but how about we figure out where we are first before we argue more about our relationship?" he suggested, as Elizabeth looked ready to explode with rage at his brother. "Elizabeth, I promise you can yell at him as much as you want when we figure out what happened."

 

Elizabeth sighed and looked at him. "I suppose you're right Neal. Which way should we go?"

 

Neal nodded down a path. "Let's try this way, see where we end up…"

 

 

* * *

 

 

Night was slowly descending upon the forest, and Neal felt like something was very, very wrong. Something was lurking, but he wasn't sure what. He could near something though, but when he called out, he got no response.

 

He didn't like it.

 

After walking for what seemed like hours, he heard Elizabeth suddenly gasp, and he turned.

 

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking around for anything that could be dangerous and harm them.

 

"Nothing, but look up ahead! A castle!"

 

Neal squinted, looking in the direction she was pointing in, before he felt his jaw drop. There was indeed the top of a castle peeking out from between the trees, and Neal had a sinking feeling in his stomach that it looked very, very familiar. He frowned a little, before it hit him.

 

It was Snow White and Prince Charming's castle.

 

"I know where we are…" he said. "Come on, let's run."

 

"Run? Why? Where are we?"

 

Neal let out a chuckle as the trio began running in the direction of the castle. "Let's just say… my in-laws live there."

 

"Your in-laws live in a palace?" Elizabeth asked, laughing. "That's ridiculous, Neal!"

 

Oh, right. She was from _that_ world. The world that didn't believe in magic and fairytales being real.

 

He couldn't wait to see her reaction when she did realize that everything she grew up with was real.

 

He wondered if his cell phone's camera would work to capture the precious moment.

 

"EMMA!" he shouted when they neared the castle. "DAVID! SNOW!"

 

He thought he saw a flash of blonde hair from one of the upper windows that quickly disappeared.

 

He saw Snow run out of the palace, calling his name. "Neal! Oh thank the God's you're okay!" she said, managing to meet him halfway and throw her arms around him. "We've been so worried about you. Come on… Emma's waiting."

 

Emma. He couldn't wait to see his wife again, even though it had only been a day.

 

"NEAL!" his wife cried as he got to the gates. "You're okay! You came back with us! I was so worried…"

 

"Shh…" he murmured, holding her close and stroking her hair. "It's okay… I'm here…"

 

He felt her hands cling tight to him. "When Mary-Margaret said there were ogres running around I thought for sure you would be dead!"

 

"Ogres?!" he said, staring at her.

 

Emma nodded. "Yeah… some people who were trapped here during the curse said there are ogres around now… who want to control this place… a war is starting…"

 

"Oh God… that must have been what I felt…" he murmured into her hair. "I… thought I felt something off when we were making our way here, but how didn't they find us?"

 

"They're blind," Snow said. "They hunt by sound alone."

 

"Ogres? Snow? Curse? Can someone please tell me what's going on here?!" Elizabeth's voice cut in.

 

Neal saw Emma look around his shoulder, and frown. "Neal… who are they?" she asked slowly.

 

"Emma, this is my brother Thomas, and his wife, Elizabeth… they somehow ended up in this world too," Neal explained. "Elizabeth is from the other world. She doesn't… know anything. I filled Thomas in on what I could when I was in New York."

 

"Oh," Emma said softly. "Come inside, before the ogres hear… we'll explain everything then."

 

Elizabeth gave them a distrusting look. "Why? How do I know you aren't just a bunch of mental patients?"

 

Neal sighed. "Because how else would we have gotten here? I don't recall being on an airplane, or train. I don't know anywhere near New York City that is so wooded like this."

 

"He's right, Elizabeth. We better take shelter in case something happens," his brother said, putting a hand around his wife. "Come on."

 

Elizabeth sighed. "Fine."

 

Snow and Emma led them inside the castle, and he stared as he looked around. The beautiful castle that was in the books had decayed, become worn.

 

"What happened here?" he murmured softly.

 

"The curse…" Emma replied. "It destroyed the castle... but they're working on plans to fix it. I helped them design David's nursery," she replied with a slight smile. "We're going to start working on it tomorrow."

 

Neal gave her a small smile as they walked around, their hands clasped together. "Where _is_ David, anyway?" he asked.

 

"Well… Prince Charming-David is in a meeting with some of the other men. Graham, the dwarfs, Phillip, Eric…" she explained. "But our _little_ prince David is with Ruby right now. She was babysitting him for me while I… greeted you. Let's go see him."

 

Neal nodded with a smile as Emma led him to the room he supposed was going to be David's bedroom.

 

"Neal!" Ruby greeted with a wide smile as she stood up from the rocking chair, David Henry in her arms. "You're okay! Thank goodness!"

 

"Yeah, I'm just fine Ruby. How are you doing?" he replied, taking his son from the other woman, David Henry's head resting tiredly against Neal's shoulder as the boy's eyes fluttered between awake and wanting to sleep.

 

She smiled. "Just perfect. Graham and I are getting married when the palace is finished with renovations… he figured that would give us another few months to get to know each other as Red and the Huntsman, rather than just Ruby and Graham."

 

Neal gave her a hug. "Congratulations!"

 

"Thank you…" she replied. "I'll let you three have some time together…"

 

With that, Ruby left the room.

 

"Well…" he said, wrapping his free arm around Emma and kissing her deeply. "It's not Tallahassee, baby, but we're home…"


	33. Epilogue

_Two years later…_

Emma sighed as she rubbed her small, expanded stomach. She couldn't believe Neal had talked her into having another baby. She'd only ever wanted one – and David was enough of a handful right now with his 'terrible two's' stage, and tendency to want to explore every single inch of the palace and grounds, which led to stresses Emma never thought she would experience.

"Emma, is everything okay?" she heard her mother ask from behind her.

Turning to the other woman, Emma smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah… Mom, I'm fine. Just… I guess still in shock that we're having another baby."

Her mother gasped. "Emma… you just called me…"

Mom. She had. It was the first time she'd called the ebony-haired woman in front of her 'Mom' without having called her 'Mary', 'Mary-Margaret', or some combination with Mom randomly added into it.

"Mom…" she whispered, embracing the woman. "God, that feels so good to say…"

Her mother began sniffling and Emma could tell she was crying. "It feels so good to finally be able to hear it from you, Emma…"

Emma smiled. She had a family. The family she'd always dreamed of – parents, a husband, and children.

Okay, so she may have pictured siblings as well, but considering she was twenty, and only ten years younger than her mother and father… she was okay with being an only child. As long as she had people that loved her.

Which she did. She finally, finally did.

"Are you sure you're alright?" her mother asked. "You seem a little pale."

Emma nodded. "Sorry… I've just been.. having issues with morning sickness today. That's why Neal and… and Dad… took David out riding today… for a couple hours at least." She didn't want David to see her like that.

"Oh sweetheart… I'm sorry. Are you sure you're alright?"

Emma nodded. "Don't worry. It's going away."

Her mother looked up, into the distance. "Red's supposed to be on her way over with Graham. Have you heard any horses yet?"

Emma shook her head. "Not yet, sorry…"

Her mother smiled. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."

The air around them was no longer tense, nor was it an air of a mentor-student relationship. Now… Emma had a feeling this was a mother-daughter relationship. Finally.

"Hey Mom…?" Emma said softly.

"Yes, Emma?" the woman replied.

Emma bit her lip, not sure how to broach the subject. "Would you like to… help me with the baby's… nursery and picking out names?"

The smile that graced her mother's face made Emma's own heart light up with joy. She couldn't wait to get started.

"I'd love to, Emma…" Snow said. "Your father can build a crib… like he did for you."

Emma had seen that crib… though it was one of the few things that looked better in the book than in person, considering the crib had been destroyed when the curse hit. It infuriated her more than anything that her parents weren't able to use it, that she had to grow up thinking that her parents abandoned her on the side of a highway, hating her and the fact that she existed.

She had to breathe out her anger, and her mother hugged her. She didn't want to think about that, because her parents were here, they loved her, they wanted her… and she knew they were never going to let her go.

"Thanks, Mom…" Emma said softly, a neigh being heard somewhere in the distance. "Someone's coming."

Emma looked up with a smile as she noticed Red and Graham riding toward the castle, the woman's baby bump very clear, her face contorted in discomfort. Emma smiled a little in sympathy. She'd never ridden a horse while pregnant with David, but she couldn't imagine it was very comfortable.

Graham helped Red down from the horse and smiled. "Greetings, ladies."

"Hello Graham, Red…" Snow said with a smile, going to her friend and hugging her.

"You're looking well, Red. Are you getting anxious about the baby?" Emma asked.

Red nodded ."Very. We've got everything ready… it's just a waiting game now."

Emma smiled a little. She knew that feeling well. "Sorry Red… but don't worry. It'll be here before you know it."

"Yeah, I know. We've only got a couple of weeks to go."

Emma laughed. "That really doesn't mean anything, Red. You could go at any moment."

Red let out a whine that sounded more canine-like than human. "Are you kidding me?"

"Sorry Red, but she's right," Snow said. "If she hadn't been earlier than Doc thought, she never would've been able to break the curse. I'm surprised Granny didn't tell you that part of the deal."

The Curse wasn't something that was spoken of often anymore, due to the terrible, unhappy lives people had to live under Regina's rule.

"Well she did," Red sighed. "I was hoping she was kidding."

"No such luck, I'm afraid," Emma chuckled, hugging her. "Don't worry."

"MAMA!" a familiar, loud voice shouted from the forest. Emma looked up, spotting her son on the horse, Neal behind to him, doing the actual steering of the animal. She couldn't see her father, but she could tell that he was behind Neal and David's horse.

"Hi sweetheart," Emma said as they stopped in front of her, the woman taking David into her arms, the boy wiggling and squirming in delight. "Did you have fun with Daddy and grandpa?"

David nodded eagerly. "Yes! Papa and Grandpapa got into a sword fight! Grandpapa won."

Emma and Snow laughed as the elder David and Neal got off their horses.

"I let him win. He's old you know, Davey," Neal teased.

"But Grandpapa said _you_ were old, Papa!"

"Oh did he now?"

David nodded eagerly. "He diiiiid!"

Her father didn't seem to be paying attention, deep in conversation with her mother. Emma chuckled. "Both of them are old, aren't they, David?"

Again, her son nodded. "Yessss."

Neal gave her a pout. "Emma! You're supposed to be on my side!"

Emma grinned. "I'm not on anyone's side when it comes to this," she told him with a wink. "I like letting my little boy have fun."

"Oh come on Emma!"

Emma merely shook her head, taking David into the palace. "So little boy… I think it's time for you to have a bath after that ride."

David squealed, squirming hard in her arms. "No bath!"

"Ohhh yes!" Emma replied, taking him into the bath room, grateful that the fairies had figured out how to do indoor plumbing in this world, like they'd had back in the Land Without Magic.

David struggled again, wanting to get away from her as water began filling up the tub. "But Mommy!"

"Yesss?"

"I don't want a bath."

"I know you don't. But I'll bet Grandma is going to make Grandpapa and Papa take a bath too," she replied, managing to wrestle David from his clothing. "I'll make this quick, David. Promise."

"Emma?" she heard her father call.

"In here, Dad," she called back, holding David tight as she washed him down. "Just trying to David up a little bit."

Her father was grinning as he stepped into the room. "Red's gone into labor."

She questioned why he was smiling at something like this considering this was something painful and horrible for a woman to go through.

"And this is something to smile at because…?" she questioned with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Because it's not my hand that's going to be squeezed until it's broken."

Emma stared at him as she pulled David out of the bath. "Really?" she asked. " _That's_ the only reason?"

Her father shook his head. "No. Because their baby will be the first one born in our world in twenty years."

The past two years had been filled with war and rebuilding. Children weren't exactly on anyone's mind. However… once they'd finally finished making their world safe again, people couldn't keep their hands off each other.

She and Neal included.

"Yeah… it will, won't it?" she said with a slight smile as she re-dressed David into some clean clothes.

"Yours will be the first royal born here in twenty years. After yourself, of course…" her father said. "Still can't believe I'm old enough to be a grandfather."

Emma grinned and tilted her head. "You think that's weird, try picturing being only ten years younger than your parents. That doesn't exactly happen every day."

Her father let out a sigh. "Yeah. That's true. But maybe I would've had more time with them if that had been the case."

"Oh Dad…" Emma said, hugging him. "If it helps… Neal and I were talking about names last night… we decided to name the baby Ruth if it's a girl… after your mother. Ruth Eva Swan-Cassidy."

He smiled. "Thank you Emma…" His lips pressed against her head. "You are the most remarkable person."

Emma shook her head. "No… I'm not, Dad. I'm just Emma."

"'Just' Emma? Sweetheart, you saved our lives. You broke the curse, and you helped us get home. If that's not remarkable, I don't know what is," her father told her with a smile. "Plus… you'll inherit the kingdom one day."

The words had shivers shooting down her spine. The thought of running a kingdom was something she tried to avoid, but… she knew she couldn't avoid it forever. After all, this was what she was born into. It was her birthright… and something she would be trained to since birth if her parents hadn't been forced to give her up thanks to Regina's stupid curse.

"I know but… it's just hard to think that I could so something so… incredible and suddenly gain a family and group of friends that loved me, when all my life I thought my parents abandoned me."

"We never would have," her father murmured. "Not if we didn't think it was your best chance."

Emma nodded. "I know that now. Thanks for giving me my best chance, Dad."

"Anything for you, Emma. Anything."

And, six months later, Princess Ruth Eva Swan-Cassidy of the Northwest Kingdom was born.


End file.
